Thailand’s former PM Thaksin gets royal pardon, a day after his daughter became premier

DEUTSCH WELLE

Thailand‘s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has received a royal pardon and his parole will end on Sunday, his lawyer Winyat Chartmontri said.

The move means Thaksin’s parole, due to end at the end of the month, ends earlier than planned. 

“Thaksin is among the prisoners that received the royal pardon” for prisoners in honor of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s birthday last month, Winyat said. “It will take effect on Sunday.”

The announcement came a day after  and the third Shinawatra to hold the office.

Paetongtarn was elected by nearly two-thirds of members of the Thai parliament.

The vote for a new PM was prompted by a Constitutional Court ruling on Wednesday removing 

Who is Thaksin Shinawatra?

Former Prime Minister and Pheu Thai party founder Thaksin was ousted in a coup 17 years ago, driving him into self-imposed exile. He was in office from 2001 to 2006.

He returned to Thailand for the first time in 15 years in August, only to be quickly arrested and taken to the Supreme Court, which sentenced him to eight years on charges of graft and abuse of power. His eight-year sentence was commuted to a year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The post JUST IN — Thailand’s former PM Thaksin gets royal pardon, a day after his daughter became premier appeared first on Deutsche Welle.