Thaksin gets partial royal pardon

Back to face the music: Thaksin returned to Thailand recently after spending 15 years in self-exile. — AFP

JAILED former premier Thaksin Shinawatra had his prison sentence cut from eight years to one by the king yesterday, just days after he returned from 15 years in exile.

The move came a day after the billionaire ex-prime minister, 74, applied for a royal pardon over graft and abuse of office convictions amid widespread speculation about a backroom deal to allow him clemency.