BANGKOK: Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra (pic) is set to be fully released from his remaining sentence without having to wait until Sept 9, after the Royal Gazette published the Royal Decree on Royal Pardon on June 2.
The decree, issued to mark the auspicious occasion of Her Majesty the Queen’s 4th Cycle Birthday Anniversary on June 3, will take effect the day after its publication.
The decree covers convicts who have already been released on parole or probation and whose remaining sentence falls within the legal threshold for full release.
Under Section 7, parolees are generally entitled to a reduction of one-third of their remaining term, but those who meet the criteria under Section 8 are to be granted release.
Section 8 includes prisoners whose remaining jail term is not more than one year from the date the decree takes effect.
Remaining sentence below one-year threshold
Thaksin had been serving the final part of a one-year sentence under parole conditions after being released from Klong Prem Central Prison on May 11.
His sentence was originally due to end on Sept 9, 2026, meaning that, once the decree takes effect on June 3, he has only a little over three months remaining – well below the one-year limit set by the decree.
As a result, the decree is expected to move Thaksin from temporary parole status to full discharge from the sentence, ending the requirement for him to remain under probation supervision until Sept 9.
He had been fitted with an electronic monitoring (EM) bracelet after his May 11 release and was required to report to probation officials during the parole period.
Agencies expected to process monitoring bracelet removal
The Department of Corrections and the Department of Probation are expected to proceed with the formal steps after the decree takes effect, including updating Thaksin’s legal status, removing the EM bracelet, and issuing the relevant release or clearance documents.
The development means Thaksin will no longer have to wait until the original end date of his parole period on Sept 9 to be free of the remaining sentence.
In legal terms, he would be discharged from the sentence rather than merely released under conditions.
How Thaksin reached parole status
Thaksin, 76, returned to Thailand in 2023 after years in self-exile and was sentenced in corruption and abuse-of-power cases linked to his time as prime minister.
His original eight-year sentence was later commuted to one year by royal clemency.
In September 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that his previous hospital stay could not be counted as properly served prison time, requiring him to serve the one-year term.
He was later approved for parole after serving the required portion of the sentence, with the Justice Ministry taking into account his age, behaviour in prison and low risk of reoffending.
Thaksin was released on parole on May 11 and returned to his Chan Song La residence, but remained under probation conditions and EM monitoring until the sentence’s scheduled expiry on Sept 9.
The new royal pardon decree now removes that waiting period, clearing the way for his full release ahead of schedule. - The Nation/ANN
