The 76-year-old telecommunications tycoon left a Bangkok prison facility early Monday morning, greeting supporters gathered outside before departing with family members. Under the terms of his release, Thaksin will remain under probation for four months and wear an electronic monitoring device.

Several hundred supporters wearing the red shirts associated with his political movement assembled outside the prison, with many chanting slogans backing the former leader, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

Thaksin did not address reporters before leaving the facility, though supporters expressed confidence that he would continue to shape Thai politics despite his release conditions.

His return to public life is likely to revive tensions between populist forces aligned with the Shinawatra family and Thailand’s conservative establishment, including military and royalist factions that have opposed his influence for more than two decades.
Thaksin’s political network, led primarily through the Pheu Thai Party, has dominated much of Thailand’s electoral politics since the early 2000s, drawing strong backing from rural and working-class voters through populist economic policies.

The Shinawatra family has produced four Thai prime ministers, including Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who previously led the party before stepping aside.

However, Pheu Thai suffered its weakest electoral showing in February, finishing third and raising doubts over the long-term strength of the Shinawatra political dynasty.

Political analysts say Thaksin’s release could still stabilize support for the party in the near term, particularly among loyalists who view him as the movement’s central figure.

“People will feel that the Pheu Thai owner is back,” political science lecturer Wanwichit Boonprong said, while cautioning that conservative rivals would likely consolidate behind Prime Minister Anutin Charnviraku

Thaksin was first elected prime minister in 2001 and won re-election in 2005 before being ousted in a military coup the following year. He spent years in self-imposed exile before returning to Thailand in August 2023.
Upon his return, he was sentenced to eight years in prison on corruption and abuse-of-power charges. His sentence was later reduced to one year through a royal pardon.

Controversy surrounded his imprisonment after authorities transferred him almost immediately to a hospital suite on medical grounds rather than keeping him in prison. Critics accused authorities of granting preferential treatment as Pheu Thai negotiated participation in a coalition government.

Thailand’s Supreme Court ruled in September that Thaksin’s hospital stay could not count toward his sentence because he was not suffering from a critical condition, forcing him back into prison custody.
Thailand’s corrections department approved his parole last month, citing his age and the limited time remaining on his sentence. Officials said he was among more than 850 prisoners granted early release under similar criteria.

Thaksin’s nephew Yodchanan Wongsawat, who led Pheu Thai’s campaign in the February election, now serves as higher education minister in Anutin’s cabinet, underscoring the family’s continued political relevance despite recent setbacks.

Kim, the wife of jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol, had initially been sentenced in January to 20 months in prison for bribery but was cleared of allegations that she helped manipulate stock prices and of several other charges.Both Kim and prosecutors appealed the ruling, with Kim seeking to clear her name and prosecutors arguing that the sentence was too lenient and that the acquittals were unjustified.

The Seoul High Court ruled on Tuesday that Kim had participated in manipulating the share price of Deutsch Motors, a South Korean car dealer, describing the activity as a “collusive trading act constituting market manipulation.”“The defendant appears to have participated in such conduct,” the court said in its televised judgment.

The court sentenced Kim to four years in prison and imposed a fine of 50 million won ($34,000), significantly increasing the punishment from the original trial.It also upheld her bribery conviction, ruling that her conduct had undermined confidence in government integrity.

“As a result of her accepting bribes, public trust in the transparency of state affairs and the fair execution of national policy was undermined,” the court said.Judges added that Kim had failed to accept responsibility and had instead “consistently resorted to excuses,” though they noted her lack of any prior criminal record in determining the sentence.

Kim, 53, appeared in court wearing a white face mask and kept her head lowered as the verdict was delivered.Her legal team told AFP they would appeal the decision to South Korea’s Supreme Court.Kim remained one of the most controversial public figures during Yoon’s presidency, with repeated scandals often overshadowing his administration.

In 2023, secretly recorded footage appeared to show her accepting a luxury Dior handbag, intensifying political backlash and contributing to falling approval ratings for Yoon’s government.The controversy was widely seen as a factor in the ruling party’s defeat in the April 2024 parliamentary elections, where it failed to regain a legislative majority.

Yoon later vetoed three opposition-backed bills seeking investigations into allegations surrounding Kim, including the Dior handbag case, with his final veto issued in November 2024.One week later, he declared martial law, a move that failed and triggered his impeachment, removal from office and eventual sentencing in February this year to life imprisonment for insurrection.

Yoon has appealed that conviction, saying his martial law declaration was made “solely for the sake of the nation.”Another appeal verdict related to his separate five-year sentence for obstruction of justice and other crimes connected to the declaration is expected on Wednesday.

Kim’s bribery case also implicated Han Hak-ja, leader of the Unification Church, who is accused of providing luxury gifts including two Chanel handbags and a Graff necklace.The court ruled Tuesday that all three items constituted bribes.

In the lower court’s January ruling, one of the handbags had not been classified as a bribe because it was allegedly gifted before Yoon’s presidential inauguration.

Han, 83, is standing trial on bribery and other charges and is currently receiving medical treatment after being temporarily released from custody.