BANGKOK – Thailand’s king has granted a partial pardon to the ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, commuting his eight-year prison sentence to a year.
This comes just days after the politician returned to the country from 15 years of exile and just a day after the billionaire submitted a request for pardon, the foreign media reported today.
Thaksin, 74, arrived in Thailand on Aug 22 in a private jet, just hours before Parliament selected Srettha Thavisin, of the Thaksin-linked Pheu Thai Party, as prime minister.
He was transferred to prison to serve an eight-year sentence on charges of abuse of power and conflicts of interest during his time in power.
On the first night, he was moved to a police hospital over chest pains and high blood pressure.
Thaksin remains one of Thailand’s most influential politicians. He served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and was then ousted in a coup.
Since 2001, the political parties he founded have consistently won the most votes in every election — except this year when the progressive Move Forward Party clinched a surprise victory.
On Thursday he submitted a request for a royal pardon.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn took into account that Thaksin had “contributed beneficially to the nation and the people and is loyal to the monarchy,” according to a statement in the Royal Gazette.
The statement also noted that Thaksin “is in old age with health problems.”
The king “has graciously granted the royal pardon to reduce his sentence to be in prison for one year,” according to the statement, “so that he can continue to use his knowledge, abilities and experience to help and contribute to the nation, the society and the peoples.”
Despite being away for 15 years, Thaksin remains an influential figure in Thai policies with parties loyal to him winning every election since 2001 until this year. - The Vibes, September 1, 2023
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