To mark the celebrations for the birthday of Queen Suthida of Thailand today, 3 June, her husband, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, granted several pardons to prisoners who, according to the Department of Justice, meet certain requirements for this, and one of these royal pardons was that of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, who was released on parole last month after serving eight months in prison, had just over three months remaining of his one-year sentence, which was due to expire in September.
The 76-year-old former leader returned to Thailand after 15 years in voluntary exile following his term in office to face trial on charges of abuse of power and conflict of interest during his government from 2006 to 2011. He returned on the same day that a party allied with him secured sufficient parliamentary support to form a government, but a few hours later he had to be hospitalised and subsequently sent to prison. His sentence had already been reduced to one year by the king himself, but he spent six months in hospital before being granted parole.
Thaksin Shinawatra belongs to the billionaire Shinawatra family, one of the most powerful and influential in the country, which has shaped successive populist governments led by members of the family clan or by allies very close to them.
Justice Minister Rutthaphon Naowarat told Reuters journalists that, although Thaksin Shinawatra met the requirements for a pardon, there were still some administrative formalities to be resolved before his electronic tagging could be removed.