Thaksin Receives Special New Year Prison Visit From Children

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was visited by his three children and their families at Klongprem Central Prison in Bangkok on Thursday, in a rare close-contact session arranged as part of New Year celebrations.

His youngest daughter, Paetongtarn, later shared a family photograph taken during the visit and conveyed her gratitude to prison authorities for facilitating the encounter.

The visit marked the 20th time Thaksin’s family has been permitted to meet him since he was incarcerated on September 9.

Prisons nationwide have introduced a special visitation window for the New Year festival, allowing relatives to sit together, eat together and interact freely, without glass partitions or telephone communication, as part of a temporary close-contact policy.

Ms Paetongtarn, herself a former prime minister, attended the visit with her husband, Pidok Sooksawas, as well as her sister Pintongta Shinawatra Kunakornwong, her brother Panthongtae Shinawatra and his wife, Natthiya Puangkham. Thaksin’s lawyer, Winyat Chatmontree, was also present.

A mini-market was set up for the occasion, enabling visitors to purchase food and handicrafts made by inmates.

“For a moment, I felt like I had gone back to being Ms Paetongtarn, walking and holding my father’s hand with my siblings, walking in the market like when we were young,” she wrote.

“For almost two hours it felt like we were really back together.”

“To those who are concerned about dad, he is doing well, aware of your love and care, and sends his regards to everyone,” she added.

When asked by reporters about her father’s views on the severe flooding in southern Thailand, Ms Paetongtarn gave a brief response: “Yes, he’s concerned.”

On September 9, the Supreme Court sentenced Thaksin to one year in prison, ruling that his six-month stay in a VIP room at Police General Hospital was improper.

Thaksin, 76, returned to Thailand in August 2023 and initially faced an eight-year jail term — later reduced to one year through a royal pardon — over conflict-of-interest and abuse-of-authority charges stemming from his time in office between 2001 and 2006.