8 hours ago
10
BREAKINGBREAKING,
Thailand’s Supreme Court ruled that hospital stay does not count as time served for the ex-prime minister.
Published On 9 Sep 2025
Thailand’s Supreme Court has ruled that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve one year in prison, in a watershed case for the kingdom.
The court issued its ruling on Tuesday in a review of whether Thaksin’s stay in the private room of a police hospital from 2023 to early 2024 counted as time served towards an earlier prison sentence.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 items- list 1 of 4Israel, India sign investment deal as Smotrich welcomed in New Delhi
- list 2 of 4Nepal lifts social media ban after 19 killed in protests: Report
- list 3 of 4Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,293
- list 4 of 4Rupert Murdoch seals deal passing control of media empire to eldest son
Thaksin, 76, was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in 2023 for fraud and abuse of power following his surprise return to Thailand after 15 years in exile.
His sentence was commuted to one year by the king, and he was later released early due to his age.
Despite the seriousness of the charges, the former premier never spent a day in prison and instead remained in hospital due to health concerns.
“Of all the options that were on the table, either complete release or some form of home arrest, this is the worst option,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Tony Cheng from Bangkok.
Cheng said that the verdict would be unsurprising for many Thais.
“People were quite disappointed he spent all that time in police hospital; he didn’t even end up serving a night in jail in the end. I think this will be seen as some kind of justifiable sentence for the crimes that many people feel that he was guilty of during his time in power,” he said.
Thaksin’s return to prison marks the latest blow for his troubled political dynasty, which has held sway over Thai politics for 25 years.
The billionaire businessman served as prime minister from 2001 until 2006, when he was ousted by a military coup. He left Thailand in 2008, but his Pheu Thai party and its allies have remained highly influential ever since.
Despite wielding influence from abroad, Thaksin was never able to regain his former popularity following his return to Thailand, according to Cheng.
“It was felt that this could be a second coming for Thaksin, but over the past two years we’ ve really seen his influence wane. He wasn’t able to bring to bear that dynamism that we had seen before,” he said.
Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party returned to power in 2023, but last week it was ousted by the Bhumjaithai Party, its one-time ally and coalition partner.
It was the second setback in as many weeks after Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was formally removed from her post as prime minister over her mishandling of a border conflict with Cambodia.
She held the post for less than a year.
Last week, Thaksin generated speculation online that he might once again try to flee Thailand after he made an unexpected trip to Dubai – a city where he spent time in exile in the past.
Thaksin’s private plane was bound for Singapore on Thursday night when it suddenly rerouted midair to the Middle East, raising questions online about whether he intended to return.
Thaksin said on social media that the change was due to problems at a Singaporean airport, and he intended to return to Bangkok following a medical check up.
Source:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
