Thaksin set for full release under royal pardon, avoiding Sept 9 wait

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is poised for a complete release from his remaining prison sentence, bypassing the original September 9 end date, thanks to a royal pardon decree. The decree, published in the Royal Gazette on June 2, was issued in observance of Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday on June 3 and takes effect the following day.

The royal pardon covers convicts who are already on parole or probation and whose remaining sentence falls within a specific legal threshold. Section 8 of the decree specifically grants release to prisoners whose jail term is not more than one year from the decree's effective date. Thaksin, who was serving the final part of a one-year sentence under parole conditions after his May 11 release, had just over three months left on his sentence as of June 3, well within the decree's one-year limit.

This development is expected to transition Thaksin from his current temporary parole status to a full discharge from his sentence. Consequently, he will no longer be subject to probation supervision or the requirement to wear an electronic monitoring (EM) bracelet, which was fitted after his May 11 release. The Department of Corrections and Probation are expected to finalize these administrative steps, including updating his legal status and issuing necessary clearance documents.

Thaksin, 76, returned to Thailand in 2023 after years of self-imposed exile. He had been sentenced for corruption and abuse-of-power charges related to his premiership, with his initial eight-year sentence later commuted to one year by royal clemency. His parole followed a Supreme Court ruling that his hospital stays could not count as served time, requiring him to complete the one-year term. The Justice Ministry had previously considered his age, behavior, and low risk of reoffending when approving his parole.