Kathmandu. The King has granted amnesty to the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra. The Bangkok Post mentioned that the king granted him amnesty as his parole was due to expire on Sunday.
Thaksin was pardoned as part of a royal pardon for 7500 prisoners of good behavior last month on the occasion of the king’s birthday, according to reports.
This news came a day after Thaksin’s daughter, 37-year-old Patongtarn Shinawatra, became the youngest Prime Minister of Thailand. She is also the third member of the Shinawatra family to hold the post.
Thaksin, 75, returned to Thailand last August after 15 years in self-imposed exile, having fled the country in 2008, claiming he was denied a fair trial on various charges that he says are politically motivated.
On the day he returned to Bangkok, Thaksin was sentenced to a year in prison on charges of conflict of interest and abuse of power during his time in power from 2001 to 2006.
He was released on parole in February after spending six months in the Police General Hospital on health grounds and the fact that he had served half his sentence. He was granted parole on the condition that he would not be involved in direct political activities.
Even though he has now been pardoned, Thaksin’s legal problems are not completely over. He is still facing charges of lese-majeste in connection with an interview he gave to a South Korean newspaper in 2015. Thaksin is out on bail for this charge. The date of the trial has not yet been fixed.