Thaksin's parole confirmed, for release this weekend
Daughter says he will return to the family home
by Wassana Nanuam
February 13, 2024
Convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be paroled this coming weekend because he is old and seriously ill, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong confirmed on Tuesday.
Pol Col Tawee said at Government House that Thaksin was among 930 inmates whose release was approved by a parole committee. This month the Department of Corrections proposed parole for 945 inmates, he said.
Thaksin, 74, met parole criteria for being aged 70 years or more, suffering serious illnesses and having served at least six months of his one-year prison term, Pol Col Tawee said.
Under the regulations, a convict is eligible for parole after serving at least one-third of his jail term or at least six months if one-third is less than six months, and the remaining term must not exceed ten years.
The justice minister said the director-general of the Department of Corrections had sent the parole list to him and Thaksin could be released on either Feb 17 or 18.
Pol Col Tawee said the number of paroled inmates was similar each month, about 930.
"I would like to say, this is normal... Parole for serious illness, disability or being aged 70 years or more began in 2003. Since then 2,240 people have been paroled," the minister said.
After 15 years as a fugitive living overseas, Thaksin returned to Thailand on Aug 22, 2023. The same day, the Supreme Court ordered his imprisonment for eight years for previous and finalised legal cases.
On the first night of his stay at Bangkok Remand Prison, corrections doctors decided he should be transferred to Police General Hospital because of the serious nature of his illnesses. His eight-year term was subsequently reduced to one year by royal clemency.
Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn, leader of the coalition-core Pheu Thai Party, said on Tuesday her father would return to the family home.
He had been confined to a hospital room for the last six months, she said, and thought he would probably go out once doctors agreed he was fit enough to do so.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/po ... is-weekend
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Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Officially Pardoned Confirms Thai Justice Minister
By Kittisak Phalaharn
February 13, 2024
On February 13th, 2024, Pol. Col. Thawee Sodsong, the Thai Minister of Justice, confirmed the official pardon of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra under the law and regulations of the Thai Department of Corrections.
The Pardon Committee approved the list of individuals eligible for pardon, as proposed by the Director-General of the Department of Corrections. This decision was made as Thaksin met the criteria of being seriously ill, disabled, or over the age of 70, stated the Minister of Justice.
The list comprised a total of 945 individuals, with the Committee approving 930 names, according to the Minister of Justice.
The Thai Minister of Justice remarked that this process was routine and the pardon regulations have been ongoing since 2003, with a current total of 2,240 individuals pardoned. The Minister said there were no special considerations for Thaksin and he was not treated with any favoritism or given any exceptions.
After the Thai cabinet meeting today (February 13th), Mr. Srettha Thavisin addressed concerns over potential opposition to the pardon. Srettha highlighted Thaksin’s significant contributions to the nation during his tenure as Thai Prime Minister and underscored that his return to civilian status marked a closure to past controversies.
In response to queries regarding the exact date of Thaksin’s release, Srettha stated that he did not receive specific information and the process would follow legal procedures as outlined by the Royal Pardon, Department of Corrections.
Regarding future engagement with Thaksin for counsel, Srettha expressed openness to dialogue with individuals, regardless of political affiliation, who have contributed to the nation’s welfare.
Srettha emphasized the importance of leveraging diverse expertise in governance for the benefit of the country.
https://tpnnational.com/2024/02/13/form ... -minister/
Thaksin Returns to Thailand
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Re: Thaksin Returns to Thailand
After 15 years, Thaksin returns home
February 18, 2024
Convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra left Police General Hospital and returned to his residence on Charan Sanitwong 69 Road in Bang Phlat district after more than 15 years of absence as he was paroled on Sunday.
Thaksin, 74, was discharged from Police General Hospital early Sunday morning. He had stayed there for for six months, ostensibly due to serious and life-threatening illnesses, after he returned to the country on the morning of Aug 22, 2023.
According to judicial authorities, he met the criteria for parole because he is over 70 years old, is seriously ill and is considered to have served at least six months of his jail term despite being admitted to Police General Hospital.
Thaksin – wearing a long-sleeved shirt, neck and arm braces, shorts and a face mask – left the hospital with his children in a van at 6.09am on Sunday. Hundreds of reporters saw a van arriving at his Chan Song La residence at 6.33am.
After his return to the country on Aug 22, 2023, Thaksin was brought to the Supreme Court, which sentenced him to eight years in jail in three cases.
He was then taken to the Bangkok Remand Prison, but late that night – or early the next morning – corrections officials moved him to Police General Hospital, saying he needed modern treatment equipment for several critical conditions, including chest pain, hypertension and low blood oxygen.
Thaksin's eight-year imprisonment covered three separate cases. In the first, the then premier was found guilty of having conflict of interest in the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim Bank). He had ordered the bank to lend 4 billion baht at a below-market interest rate to the Myanmar government in 2004 so it could buy products from Shin Satellite Plc, a company then owned by his family.
In another case, the Supreme Court found Thaksin had illegally launched a two- and three-digit lottery between 2003 and 2006. He was found guilty of breaching the Criminal Code by abusing his power as the scheme was not supported by any legislation.
In the other case Thaksin was convicted of malfeasance and conflict of interest for illegally holding shares through proxies in the state's phone concessionaires.
The eight-year term was reduced to one year in a royal pardon in September 2023.
While being prosecuted in many cases over 15 years ago, Thaksin sought court permission to leave the country on July 31, 2008, in order to give special lectures in Japan and attend the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
He did not return to the country as promised to testify in the Supreme Court in the Ratchadaphisek land purchase case on Aug 11, 2008.
On Oct 21, 2008, the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in jail, convicting him of violating the National Counter-Corruption Act in the Ratchadaphisek land purchase.
He was charged with abusing his authority while being prime minister to facilitate his then-wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra's purchase of 33 rai of land on Thiam Ruam Mit Road in the Ratchadaphisek area from the Bank of Thailand's Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF) at a discounted price of 772 million baht in 2003.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/po ... turns-home
February 18, 2024
Convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra left Police General Hospital and returned to his residence on Charan Sanitwong 69 Road in Bang Phlat district after more than 15 years of absence as he was paroled on Sunday.
Thaksin, 74, was discharged from Police General Hospital early Sunday morning. He had stayed there for for six months, ostensibly due to serious and life-threatening illnesses, after he returned to the country on the morning of Aug 22, 2023.
According to judicial authorities, he met the criteria for parole because he is over 70 years old, is seriously ill and is considered to have served at least six months of his jail term despite being admitted to Police General Hospital.
Thaksin – wearing a long-sleeved shirt, neck and arm braces, shorts and a face mask – left the hospital with his children in a van at 6.09am on Sunday. Hundreds of reporters saw a van arriving at his Chan Song La residence at 6.33am.
After his return to the country on Aug 22, 2023, Thaksin was brought to the Supreme Court, which sentenced him to eight years in jail in three cases.
He was then taken to the Bangkok Remand Prison, but late that night – or early the next morning – corrections officials moved him to Police General Hospital, saying he needed modern treatment equipment for several critical conditions, including chest pain, hypertension and low blood oxygen.
Thaksin's eight-year imprisonment covered three separate cases. In the first, the then premier was found guilty of having conflict of interest in the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim Bank). He had ordered the bank to lend 4 billion baht at a below-market interest rate to the Myanmar government in 2004 so it could buy products from Shin Satellite Plc, a company then owned by his family.
In another case, the Supreme Court found Thaksin had illegally launched a two- and three-digit lottery between 2003 and 2006. He was found guilty of breaching the Criminal Code by abusing his power as the scheme was not supported by any legislation.
In the other case Thaksin was convicted of malfeasance and conflict of interest for illegally holding shares through proxies in the state's phone concessionaires.
The eight-year term was reduced to one year in a royal pardon in September 2023.
While being prosecuted in many cases over 15 years ago, Thaksin sought court permission to leave the country on July 31, 2008, in order to give special lectures in Japan and attend the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
He did not return to the country as promised to testify in the Supreme Court in the Ratchadaphisek land purchase case on Aug 11, 2008.
On Oct 21, 2008, the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in jail, convicting him of violating the National Counter-Corruption Act in the Ratchadaphisek land purchase.
He was charged with abusing his authority while being prime minister to facilitate his then-wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra's purchase of 33 rai of land on Thiam Ruam Mit Road in the Ratchadaphisek area from the Bank of Thailand's Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF) at a discounted price of 772 million baht in 2003.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/po ... turns-home
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Re: Thaksin Returns to Thailand
Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra Officially Paroled and Released to His Home
By Adam Judd
18 February, 2024
At 6:33 AM, on February 18th, 2024, Thai national media reported the arrival of Thai former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to the “Chan Song La” Manor in Bang Phlat, Bangkok.
He was greeted by hundreds of reporters and a handmade sign made by his adult children, including daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the Pheu Thai leader, who accompanied him home. Thaksin was wearing a neck and arm brace and no official explanation was given for why he was wearing them.
Thaksin had never served a single full day in prison and was instead in a special hospital ward for his entire sentence prior to parole for alleged significant health problems. The nature of the problems had never been released to the public, with Thaksin’s family and lawyers saying it would be a violation of health privacy laws.
Opponents of Thaksin’s release had continually protested his stay in the hospital, saying it was in the public interest to release his health conditions and allow an independent doctor of their choice to examine Thaksin and determine if he truly needed to be in a hospital or if he could be returned to a normal prison. Despite multiple attempts and protests, however, Thaksin remained in the hospital.
The Thai Department of Corrections assigned officials from Bangkok Remand Prison to visit Thaksin who was paroled in accordance with Thai laws with related documents, according to Thai media.
After Thaksin signed his signature to agree to terms and conditions such as reporting to officials at least electronically every three days during parole, Thaksin was officially released on probation where other than legal and official appointments he would need to stay home for six months, Thai media reported.
However, Thaksin was facing a possible offense under Section 112 and a violation of the Computer Crimes Act for allegedly disseminating false information.
Thaksin reportedly violated the laws outside the Kingdom of Thailand on May 21st, 2015, in Seoul, South Korea.
Therefore, it was the Attorney General’s responsibility to follow up on the case. The Thai Technology Crime Suppression Division planned to file a letter to the prosecutor at the Ratchada Criminal Justice Office to sign an acknowledgment of the charges.
It was reported that at least three months was a minimum requirement for the Attorney General to investigate additional offenses before taking the case to court.
As of press time however, the charges had not officially been placed and there were some questions over if they would be, with both opponents and supporters of Thaksin having differing opinions over the issue.
https://tpnnational.com/2024/02/18/form ... -his-home/
By Adam Judd
18 February, 2024
At 6:33 AM, on February 18th, 2024, Thai national media reported the arrival of Thai former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to the “Chan Song La” Manor in Bang Phlat, Bangkok.
He was greeted by hundreds of reporters and a handmade sign made by his adult children, including daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the Pheu Thai leader, who accompanied him home. Thaksin was wearing a neck and arm brace and no official explanation was given for why he was wearing them.
Thaksin had never served a single full day in prison and was instead in a special hospital ward for his entire sentence prior to parole for alleged significant health problems. The nature of the problems had never been released to the public, with Thaksin’s family and lawyers saying it would be a violation of health privacy laws.
Opponents of Thaksin’s release had continually protested his stay in the hospital, saying it was in the public interest to release his health conditions and allow an independent doctor of their choice to examine Thaksin and determine if he truly needed to be in a hospital or if he could be returned to a normal prison. Despite multiple attempts and protests, however, Thaksin remained in the hospital.
The Thai Department of Corrections assigned officials from Bangkok Remand Prison to visit Thaksin who was paroled in accordance with Thai laws with related documents, according to Thai media.
After Thaksin signed his signature to agree to terms and conditions such as reporting to officials at least electronically every three days during parole, Thaksin was officially released on probation where other than legal and official appointments he would need to stay home for six months, Thai media reported.
However, Thaksin was facing a possible offense under Section 112 and a violation of the Computer Crimes Act for allegedly disseminating false information.
Thaksin reportedly violated the laws outside the Kingdom of Thailand on May 21st, 2015, in Seoul, South Korea.
Therefore, it was the Attorney General’s responsibility to follow up on the case. The Thai Technology Crime Suppression Division planned to file a letter to the prosecutor at the Ratchada Criminal Justice Office to sign an acknowledgment of the charges.
It was reported that at least three months was a minimum requirement for the Attorney General to investigate additional offenses before taking the case to court.
As of press time however, the charges had not officially been placed and there were some questions over if they would be, with both opponents and supporters of Thaksin having differing opinions over the issue.
https://tpnnational.com/2024/02/18/form ... -his-home/