Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Released on Parole

On the morning of March 17, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra walked out of Klong Prem Prison in Bangkok after serving eight months of a one-year sentence for corruption-related crimes. Hundreds of supporters, including family members and political allies, greeted him with chants of 'We love Thaksin' as he emerged from the prison gates.

Wearing a simple white shirt with closely cropped hair, Thaksin appeared at around 7:40 a.m. local time and was immediately surrounded by family members, including his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra — who was removed from the premiership by the Constitutional Court in August 2025. He smiled broadly as he greeted supporters but did not speak to the press.

The former leader ruled from 2001 until he was ousted in a military coup in 2006 while abroad. After 15 years in exile, he returned to Thailand in 2023 to face an eight-year prison sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power during his tenure. The sentence was later reduced to one year by royal decree.

However, just hours after entering prison, Thaksin complained of heart problems and chest pain, and was transferred to a VIP ward at a hospital for six months before receiving conditional parole. In September 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that Thaksin must serve his sentence in prison, concluding that he and his doctors had deliberately prolonged his hospital stay with unnecessary minor surgeries.

A Justice Ministry panel agreed last month to grant Thaksin conditional parole, citing good behavior in prison, his age, and low risk of reoffending. According to the Corrections Department, Thaksin will be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor for the remainder of his sentence.

In a video broadcast by Thairath news agency, Thaksin was seen lowering his car window to wave at a small group of supporters outside his home in western Bangkok and answered reporters' questions, saying: 'I have been hibernating; now I don't remember anything.'

Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party, which slipped to third place in the February election, has joined the governing coalition of conservative Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Thaksin's grandson, Yodchanan Wongsawat, who was a Pheu Thai candidate in the election, has been appointed Minister of Higher Education in Anutin's cabinet.

Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn became Thailand's youngest prime minister in 2024 but was removed from office by the Constitutional Court after a leaked phone call recording with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.