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Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was a powerful political force in Thailand for decades, was released from prison on Monday after the parole board commuted his sentence partly due to good behavior.<\/p>\n
Only a year earlier he had seemed to be at the pinnacle of Thai politics \u2013 Patongtaran Shinawatra, his daughter, was prime minister, and Mr Thaksin was seen as an influential power broker behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
But in August, Ms. Patongtarn was dismissed as prime minister, and the following month, Mr. Thaksin, 76, was ordered to serve a year in prison for previous convictions for corruption and abuse of power.<\/p>\n
At about 7.40pm, Mr Thaksin walked out of Klong Prem Central Prison in northern Bangkok, smiling and greeting his family and members of his Pheu Thai political party. He left without answering the questions of the journalists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Here is a brief account of Mr Thaksin’s visit.<\/p>\n
In 2001, Mr. Thaksin, a telecommunications billionaire, was elected prime minister as he promised populist policies such as a universal health care program and low-interest-rate loans to rural communities.<\/p>\n
He soon became a foe to the royal-military establishment in Thailand, which is a constitutional monarchy. Mr. Thaksin’s policies ultimately posed a threat to the elite because he sought to “rearrange the political or social order,” said Siripan Nongsuan Sawasdee, a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.<\/p>\n
Mr. Thaksin was re-elected, but was ousted in a coup in 2006. His ouster reverberated through Thailand for years as pro-Thaksin and anti-Thaksin groups fought in the streets over it. He voluntarily went into exile and lived in Dubai most of the time.<\/p>\n
Mr. Thaksin’s influence continued even when he was out of Thailand, and parties linked to him were winning elections. His sister Yingluck Shinawatra was elected prime minister in 2011 but was also removed in a coup three years later. <\/p>\n
By 2020, a new progressive movement became the leading force in Thai politics, agitating for change. This appeared clearly close in 2023, when the Move Forward Party won the general election but the conservative establishment prevented it from forming a government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Around the same time, Mr. Thaksin made a dramatic return to Thailand. Many felt he had finally made a deal with his former rivals \u2013 and his Pheu Thai party had formed the government.<\/p>\n
As for Mr. Thaksin, he was immediately sentenced in his absence to eight years in prison for a previous conviction on charges of corruption and abuse of power. But on his first day in jail, Mr. Thaksin was transferred to a hospital VIP suite because of chest tightness, high blood pressure and low blood oxygen levels.<\/p>\n
Later, he received a royal pardon and was released after six months, effectively not having spent a day in prison.<\/p>\n
A few months later, Ms Patongtarn, a political novice, took over as prime minister. It appeared that Mr. Thaksin’s resurrection was complete.<\/p>\n
Just a few months into her tenure, Ms Patongtarn caused a stir when she appeared overly deferential in talks with Hun Sen, the powerful leader of neighboring Cambodia. This led to his rapid decline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Mr. Thaksin also found himself in legal trouble. He beat charges in a case related to Thailand’s notorious royal defamation law, but in September he was sentenced to a year in prison on charges related to a prior conviction. At the time, he said he wanted to “put an end to everything from the past \u2013 whether it was legal battles or conflicts related to me.”<\/p>\n
Now Mr. Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party is part of the ruling coalition, and some critics worry that the former prime minister will have undue influence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he is out, I am not sure whether Thailand will have two prime ministers,\u201d said Pichit Chamongkol, leader of the People’s and Student Network for the Reform of Thailand, a group that petitioned the Justice Ministry to block Mr. Thaksin’s parole.<\/p>\n
According to the Department of Corrections, Mr. Thaksin was granted parole because he is over 70 years of age and his attitude and behavior have shown improvement. It said the risk of him reoffending is low.<\/p>\n
Mr. Thaksin will have to wear an electronic monitoring device for four months, in line with the terms of his parole, and many analysts expect he will try to stay out of the spotlight this time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n