BANGKOK - Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to be released from prison on Monday under parole, sparking speculation about a potential return to the political arena.
The 76-year-old telecom billionaire has been serving a one-year sentence for corruption since September. He will be required to wear an electronic monitor until his probation ends in four months.
Thaksin's political machine has been a key rival of Thailand's pro-military, pro-royalty elite for two decades. His Pheu Thai party, which produced four prime ministers from the Shinawatra family, suffered its worst election result in February, slipping to third place. Yet the party's inclusion in the ruling coalition of conservative Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul leaves the door open for a political comeback.
Thaksin was elected prime minister in 2001 and again in 2005, but was ousted by a military coup and spent years in exile. He returned to Thailand in August 2023, was sentenced to eight years for corruption, and had his sentence reduced to one year by royal pardon.