Overview
- Thaksin Shinawatra walked out of Bangkok’s Klong Prem Central Prison on Monday morning on parole, beginning four months of probation with an electronic monitor and required check-ins.
- Hundreds of supporters and relatives greeted the 76-year-old outside the prison and later at his home, chanting and offering roses.
- The Department of Corrections said the early release, approved in April as part of a review of more than 850 cases, reflected his age, good conduct, and the short time left on his term.
- His return to custody in September 2025 followed a Supreme Court ruling that his earlier hospital stay did not count toward a sentence that had been cut by royal pardon from eight years to one.
- Pheu Thai slipped to third in February’s election and now sits in a coalition led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, leaving any comeback constrained by parole rules and an active royal defamation case.