Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to serve one year in prison

Thailand’s Supreme Court has ordered former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to serve a one-year prison sentence. The court ruled that Thaksin did not properly serve his previous one-year sentence.

The ousted PM was originally sentenced to eight years for corruption and abuse of power in 2023, but was immediately transferred to a hospital instead of prison.

This transfer to the hospital, royal pardon and early release led to widespread public suspicion that he was receiving special treatment.

The court also found that his hospital stay was unlawful because he was not suffering from a critical emergency condition.

As a result, the court ruled that the time he spent in the hospital cannot be counted as time served, and he must now serve a full one-year term in prison.

Thaksin was taken into custody immediately after the court’s ruling and transferred to Bangkok Remand Prison.

The former Prime Minister stated on his Facebook page: “Today, I may no longer have freedom, but have freedom of thought to create benefit for the country and people.”

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, said:

“I’m worried about my father, but I’m also proud that he has created so many historic moments for the country… It’s quite tough, but of course we are still in a good spirit, both my father and our family.”

The Supreme Court ruling is a significant blow to him and his family’s political power, which has been dominant in Thailand for two decades.

Is the Shinawatra family Chinese?

The Shinawatra family is a Thai Hakka Chinese family.