Former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatraremoved from power by a military coup in 2006, was imprisoned this Tuesday a few hours after returning to his country after 15 years in exilereported the Department of Prisons.
Thaksin, a 74-year-old former media magnate who last left the country in 2008, has been booked into a prison in northern Bangkok following an order from the Supreme Court for the ex-president to begin serving a sentence of 8 years in prison for three different convictions.
The Department of Prisons indicated that the former prime minister will spend 10 days of isolation in prison due to the covid-19 protocol and various health problems. “Thaksin has already passed the medical examination and is in Bangkok Remand Prison under the supervision of officials,” department director-general Ayuth Sintoppant told a news conference.
The former prime minister (2001-2006) returned the same day that the bicameral Parliament votes on the candidacy for prime minister of Srettha Thaivisinproposed by the Pheu Thai party, controlled by the Shinawatra family and allied with pro-military parties.
Thaksin, a popular politician who endeared himself to much of the rural areas for his social policies, was sentenced in absentia for various cases of corruption and abuse of power which he attributes to political motives on the part of the monarchical and pro-military elite. The cases include the purchase of land below its real value, irregularities related to the lottery, an export-export deal with Burma and the fraudulent use of front men at his former company, Shin Corp.