KUALA LUMPUR – Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to his Bangkok home from the police hospital today, just six months after his dramatic return after 15 years of self-imposed exile.
The controversial billionaire, who was twice elected as the premier and ousted in a 2006 military coup, was sentenced to eight years in jail for graft and abuse-of-power charges upon his return in August, according to AFP.
But his sentence was cut to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn within days of his return, and the government said last week that the 74-year-old was eligible for early release because of his age and health.
A handful of people protesting his release had gathered in front of the hospital.
The exact details of his release are not clear, but Thaksin may be monitored – possibly with an ankle tag – and his right to travel may be restricted.
The former Manchester City owner’s arrival in his home country came on the same day his Pheu Thai party returned to government in alliance with pro-military parties, leading many to conclude that a backroom deal had been struck to cut his jail time.
The rumours grew stronger when he was transferred to a police hospital within hours of being sentenced because of his poor health.
He was reportedly suffering from chest tightness and high blood pressure when he was admitted to the hospital, and his family has said he underwent two operations in the following months.
The government has denied any deal, and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, of the Pheu Thai party, has insisted “he already served his jail time,” although it is not clear that Thaksin has spent any time in a prison cell.
The former telecoms tycoon is one of the most influential but divisive figures in modern Thai history.
Thaksin is loved by millions of rural Thais for his populist policies in the early 2000s, but he has long been opposed by the country’s royalist and pro-military establishment.
The tussle for dominance between the establishment and Thaksin and his allies has largely defined Thai politics over the past two decades.
Last week, police filed lese-majeste charges against him over comments he made in South Korea almost a decade ago, although it is not clear whether prosecutors will take the case to court.
His critics accused him of pulling strings in the kingdom even from exile, which he spent mostly in Dubai before his return.
Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was elected prime minister for Pheu Thai in 2011, only to be ousted in a coup herself in 2014.
His daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, now the party’s chief, was one of the leading faces in its campaign for last year’s general election and has been tipped as a possible future prime minister.
The election last May marked the first time in more than 20 years that a Thaksin-linked party failed to win the most seats in parliament.
Pheu Thai was beaten into second place by the upstart progressive Move Forward Party (MFP).
But pro-establishment forces in the senate blocked MFP’s leader Pita Limjaroenrat from becoming prime minister, and Pheu Thai’s deal with military-linked parties then shut the newcomers out of government. – February 18, 2024