Thaksin backers camp out awaiting release of jailed ex-Thai PM

BANGKOK – Former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra is set to walk out of a Bangkok prison to the cheers of loyal supporters on May 11, returning to a political landscape transformed by the decisive victory of the rival conservative Bhumjaithai Party in February elections.

The 76-year-old patriarch of the Shinawatra clan is being paroled after serving eight months in prison for corruption.

The Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai party is in the ruling coalition, but its third-place electoral finish was a disappointment for a family whose various parties finished first in every vote from 2001 to 2019. 

That presents a challenge for Thaksin, who is expected to attempt once again to revive his family’s political fortunes after their dominance for a quarter century.

“The good old days of Pheu Thai are completely over. Thaksin likely won’t be able to change that much,” said Dr Purawich Watanasukh, a lecturer of political science at Thammasat University.

“But Thaksin is not done with Thai politics. He’s a fighter, and the Shinawatras still have unfinished business.” 

Loyal “Red Shirt” supporters have pledged to camp out to await Thaksin, who was premier from 2001 to 2006 before having to survive a coup, court setbacks and 15 years in exile.

His family still retains strong support among rural voters, while facing antipathy from urban elites.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters on May 9 that he was happy for the Shinawatra family over Thaksin’s parole.

Asked about any potential political drama, he said he hasn’t thought that far ahead, adding Thaksin remained a person he respected.

The Shinawatra political machine has provided six Thai premiers this century, including Thaksin; his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, who remains in exile after fleeing a criminal negligence case in 2017; and his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was ousted in August 2025 in an ethics violation case involving her handling of border tensions with Cambodia.

The former businessman returned from exile in 2023, just as a Pheu Thai candidate won a parliamentary vote to become prime minister.

Thaksin then received a royal pardon that commuted his sentence from eight years to 12 months.

He spent six months in a police hospital, but the Supreme Court ruled that did not count as time served and sent him back to prison. 

That verdict capped a bout of political turmoil that saw two Thaksin-linked administrations ousted in little more than a year.

The reversal in the Shinawatras’ fortunes was seen as a breakdown of a deal between Thaksin and the conservative establishment, which had allowed his return.

He still faces a royal defamation case, which was revived after the attorney general appealed a court ruling that acquitted him of charges stemming from a 2015 interview with South Korean media.

On the day he was whisked away to prison in September, Thaksin said he would devote the rest of his life to serving the monarchy and the Thai people.

The Department of Corrections said in a statement on May 9 that Thaksin qualified for parole and his release was approved in accordance with established rules and regulations.

He will be released early – along with hundreds of others – thanks to an improvement in his “attitude and behavior,” and must wear an electronic monitoring device for four months.

“This parole consideration is not intended to benefit any one individual in particular, but is conducted under the same standards as all prisoners nationwide,” the department said. BLOOMBERG