BANGKOK, June 3 — Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to be fully discharged from his sentence under a royal pardon granted in conjunction with the occasion of Queen Suthida’s birthday on Wednesday (June 3).
Thai Justice Minister Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon Naowarat said Thaksin’s name was included in the list of individuals granted a royal pardon following the publication in the Royal Gazette of a Royal Command by King Maha Vajiralongkorn issuing the Royal Decree on Royal Pardons 2026.
Rutthapon said that, under Section 8 of the decree, Thaksin would be immediately released from the remainder of his sentence as he had less than one year left to serve.
“Thaksin will be able to remove his electronic monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet immediately. However, there are still administrative procedures to be completed, including consideration by provincial committees established to review such cases,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Royal pardons are traditionally granted to eligible inmates on significant national occasions, including royal birthdays and other important commemorative events. This year’s decree was issued in conjunction with Queen Suthida’s birthday.
On May 11, Thaksin, 76, was released on parole from prison after serving eight months of his one-year sentence at Klong Prem Central Prison here.
Thailand’s Department of Corrections announced Thaksin’s parole, citing his age and health condition, as well as the fact that he had served eight months of his sentence, as grounds for his early release.
Thaksin was jailed after the Supreme Court ruled last year that he improperly served a 2023 sentence in a hospital suite rather than a prison cell.
He was elected prime minister in 2001 and again in 2005, and went into exile after his second term was cut short by a military coup.
After returning to Thailand in August 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption and abuse of power, but later received a royal pardon that reduced his sentence to one year.
Instead of serving time in prison, he was transferred to a private room in hospital on health grounds. His sentence was reduced to one year by royal pardon, and he was released as part of an early release scheme for elderly prisoners.
