Thai billionaire and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released from prison on parole on Monday, greeted by supporters, eight months after a court ordered him to serve a sentence he tried to avoid by staying in hospital for an extended period, Reuters reports.
The 76-year-old tycoon, who is also a Montenegrin citizen, has reshaped and dominated Thai politics for a quarter of a century, but his influence has waned recently following the closure and worst-ever election performance of his once-powerful Pheu Thai party earlier this year.
As he left Bangkok's Klong Prem prison, with a short haircut and a loose white shirt, a smiling Thaksin hugged family members, including his daughter and political heir, Phaetongtarn Shinawatra, who was removed from office as prime minister by a court in August last year, 10 days before his imprisonment.
Hundreds of supporters, many wearing his party's distinctive red color, gathered to welcome him, chanting: "We love Thaksin."
When asked by reporters how he felt, Taksin raised his hands above his head and said he was "relieved."
"I went into hibernation. I don't remember anything now," he said.
Dramatic return from exile
After 15 years of self-imposed exile, Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023 to serve an eight-year sentence for conflict of interest and abuse of power while he was prime minister from 2001 to 2006. He returned the same day parliament elected his party ally as prime minister. During his exile, he became a Montenegrin citizen in 2008.
However, without spending a single night in prison, he was transferred to the VIP wing of the hospital, complaining of heart problems and chest pains. The king later reduced his sentence to one year, and Thaksin remained in the hospital for six months before being released on parole.
The Supreme Court, however, ruled that he and his doctors prolonged his hospital stay with minor and unnecessary surgeries, and that he must serve his sentence in prison again.
During his exile and much of his return to the country, the polarizing tycoon wielded great influence over Thailand's turbulent politics and was a driving force behind successive populist governments led or controlled by the powerful Shinawatra family.
But the removal of Paetongtarn, the sixth prime minister from the family or with her support to be ousted by court decisions or coups, marked the beginning of a political reckoning for Thaksin. The Pheu Thai government collapsed, and an ally-turned-opponent, Anutin Charnvirakul, was installed as prime minister just days before Thaksin was imprisoned.
"He must act carefully"
Thaksin's release could help revive the once-dominant Pheu Thai party, which is now a minor party in Anutin's coalition after a heavy election defeat in February, said Thitipol Pakdivanit, a political scientist at Ubon Ratchathani University.
"But he has to be careful," Titipol added. "He overplayed himself. It would be better if he stayed behind the scenes. But one has to wonder how long he can stay behind the scenes, given his personality."
Thaksin must wear an electronic anklet until his sentence expires in September.
His supporter Romani Nakano, 76, said he should never have been imprisoned.
"He's a very good man," she said outside the prison. "Whatever he did, he did for the people. He just wanted people to be full and have enough to live on."
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