Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been transferred to the medical wing of Bangkok’s Klong Prem prison due to age-related and chronic health issues, a senior corrections department official confirmed on Monday.
The move comes days after Thailand’s Supreme Court ordered the 76-year-old telecoms billionaire to serve a one-year sentence, ruling that he had improperly spent a previous jail term in a hospital suite instead of a prison cell.
Thaksin, one of Thailand’s wealthiest and most divisive political figures, remains a central figure in the country’s political drama. His daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was dismissed as prime minister last month by court order, further weakening the family’s political dominance.
After completing a mandatory quarantine, Thaksin received his first family visit on Monday. Paetongtarn, who visited with her mother and sister, said her father appeared in good spirits despite some blood pressure problems, which she attributed to stress.
Thaksin, who served as prime minister from 2001 until his ouster in a 2006 military coup, spent years in self-exile before returning to Thailand in August 2023. He was sentenced to eight years for corruption and abuse of power but avoided prison by staying in a hospital. His sentence was later reduced to one year by royal pardon, and he was released early under a scheme for elderly inmates.
His lawyer, Winyat Chatmontree, said it was too soon to seek approval for Thaksin to serve his time outside prison, stressing that he has not requested special privileges or security arrangements.
