Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra remains in good health, while his family is preparing to discuss arrangements related to his expected parole in May, according to his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Ms Paetongtarn and her husband, Pidok Sooksawas, visited Thaksin at Klongprem Central Prison at about 10am on Thursday. They were accompanied by Thaksin’s lawyer, Winyat Chatmontri.
After spending about an hour inside the prison, Ms Paetongtarn told reporters that the visit was routine and mainly involved checking on her father’s daily life.
“My father’s health is still strong and he is doing well,” said Ms Paetongtarn, who also previously served as prime minister.
March 9 will mark six months since Thaksin’s detention. When asked about her feelings, Ms Paetongtarn paused briefly before saying the period had felt long.
“It does feel long. We encourage each other, saying that in about two more months he should be able to come out,” she said. “We will continue to support him and keep his spirits up every day.”
Asked whether she would act as Thaksin’s guarantor and whether he would stay at the family home during parole, Ms Paetongtarn said the family would discuss the matter further.
The Shinawatra family’s Ban Chan Song La residence is located on Charan Sanitwong Soi 69 in Bangkok’s Bang Phlat district.
Ms Paetongtarn later thanked members of the media before leaving the prison compound, where a group of red-shirt supporters had gathered to show support for the family.
Earlier, Mr Winyat said Thaksin’s legal team was proceeding with steps related to the parole process in line with ministerial regulations and the Corrections Act.
The case is expected to be submitted for consideration this month, as previously indicated by Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong, the lawyer said.
Under the criteria for early release, an inmate must serve two-thirds of the total sentence. In Thaksin’s case, this amounts to eight months, with May 9 expected to be the potential release date.
If the requirements are met and parole is granted, Mr Winyat said the outcome would be positive for Thaksin, his family and members of the public awaiting the decision.
Thaksin, 76, has been behind bars since September 9 last year, when the Supreme Court of Thailand ordered him to serve his one-year prison sentence for abuse of authority and conflict of interest during his tenure as prime minister prior to 2006.
The court did not recognise Thaksin’s prolonged stay at Police General Hospital in 2023–24 as qualifying as time served in prison.
Thaksin returned to Thailand on August 22, 2023, after more than 15 years in self-imposed exile abroad.
The billionaire patriarch of the Pheu Thai Party was initially sentenced to eight years in prison, a term later reduced to one year by royal clemency.
He was first taken to Bangkok Remand Prison before being transferred to Police General Hospital the same night, only 13 hours after entering the prison facility.
