Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is among those who have received a royal pardon to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s 4th cycle birthday anniversary, Justice Minister Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon Naowarat said on Wednesday.
The justice minister confirmed that Thaksin’s name was included on the list of people granted pardons, although he did not disclose the total number of recipients.
Asked about Thaksin’s legal status and whether he would still be required to serve the remaining one month and 10 days of his sentence, Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon said the former prime minister would be released from his sentence immediately.
“Under the law, he is released at once because he has less than one year of his sentence remaining, in accordance with Section 8,” he said.
Thaksin’s release falls under Section 8 of the 2026 Royal Decree on Royal Pardons, which applies to those with less than one year left to serve.
The minister also confirmed that Thaksin’s electronic monitoring tag could be removed immediately.
Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon said further procedures related to the implementation of the royal pardons would be handled by provincial committees.
Before the announcement, Thaksin had been serving a four-month probationary parole period that began on May 11 and was due to end on September 9, 2026. As part of the conditions, he had been required to report to a probation officer once a month.
The royal pardon brings his probation to an immediate end, meaning he is no longer required to report to probation officials or wait until Sept 9 for his sentence to formally expire.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul congratulated Thaksin on receiving the royal pardon but declined to make further comments to reporters.
Speaking at Sanam Luang at 7:30am, Anutin said he had learned about the pardon from media reports and wished to offer his congratulations to the former prime minister.
“Today (June 3) is an auspicious day. We will not discuss other matters,” he said.
The prime minister also invited members of the public to attend a candle-lighting ceremony at Sanam Luang at 7pm in honour of Her Majesty the Queen’s 48th birthday anniversary.
Anutin urged people across the country to take part in the ceremony and offer their best wishes for Her Majesty’s long life and good health.
Thaksin’s daughter, Pintongta Shinawatra Kunakornwong, said the family was deeply grateful and overjoyed by the news, speaking through tears.
“I am happy for my father, for our family, and for all the other families whose loved ones have also received a royal pardon,” she said.
Pintongta said she had spoken with her younger sister, former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and that both shared the same feeling of relief and happiness.
“A period of time has passed and things have been relatively calm recently, but we are very happy about this. We feel deeply honoured and grateful for the freedom that has been granted,” Ms Pintongta said.
Thaksin, 76, was sent to prison on September 9 last year after the Supreme Court ordered him to serve a one-year sentence for abuse of authority and conflict of interest during his time as prime minister before 2006.
The court ruled that his extended stay in a VIP ward at Police General Hospital between 2023 and 2024 could not be counted as prison time.
It also found that his transfer from Bangkok Remand Prison to Police General Hospital shortly after his arrival, following complaints of chest pain, was not legitimate.
The Supreme Court had earlier ordered Thaksin on August 22, 2023, to serve the one-year prison term handed down two years earlier.
