Thaksin Shinawatra, the 76-year-old former prime minister of Thailand, was officially released from supervision following a royal pardon granted on June 3, Queen Suthida's birthday [1, 2, 3, 4]. The Department of Corrections confirmed on June 9 or 10 that his electronic monitoring device had been removed and that he had received official release documents stating he was no longer subject to criminal punishment or supervision [1, 2, 3, 4].
Thaksin had served eight months of a one-year prison sentence for corruption and abuse of power before being granted parole due to his age and health conditions [1, 2, 3, 4]. He is a telecom billionaire and a highly influential figure in Thai politics, having served two terms as prime minister until his second term was cut short by a military coup in 2006 [1, 3, 4]. Following the coup, Thaksin spent more than a decade in self-imposed exile, mainly in Dubai, and returned to Thailand in 2023 [1, 3, 4].
His political party, Pheu Thai, and its predecessors have been dominant forces in 21st century Thai politics, but the party suffered its worst election result in February 2026, falling to third place, which has raised doubts about Thaksin's continued political influence [1, 3, 4]. Thai media have reported that Thaksin is expected to travel back to Dubai later in June 2026 for an undisclosed purpose [1, 3, 4].
