BANGKOK, Thailand – The Department of Corrections has clarified the outcome of a recent parole committee meeting in which former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was among 920 inmates reviewed for early release under national correctional regulations.
According to an official statement dated April 29, the 4/2569 meeting of the sub-committee on parole considered a total of 920 convicted inmates. Of these, 859 were approved for regular parole, 49 were denied, two cases were deferred, and 10 were approved under special parole conditions.
Thaksin Shinawatra was among those approved for regular parole. Authorities confirmed that he meets the legal requirements under the Corrections Act B.E. 2560 (2017), Section 52 (7), as well as relevant ministerial regulations governing inmate rehabilitation and parole eligibility.
The department stated that the decision was based on multiple factors, including the nature of the offense, remaining sentence duration, reliability of a supervising guardian, assessed public safety risks, and evidence of rehabilitation and behavioral improvement during incarceration.
Officials also noted that special consideration was given due to his age (over 70 years), his remaining sentence of less than one year, and a low risk-of-reoffending assessment based on correctional evaluation tools.
However, unlike earlier reports suggesting exemption, the Corrections Department confirmed that Thaksin will be required to wear an electronic monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet as part of his parole conditions until the completion of his sentence.
He will become eligible for parole on May 10, 2026, and is scheduled to be released under probation supervision from May 11, 2026 onwards. He will remain under strict supervision and must comply with all probation conditions until his sentence is fully served.
The department emphasized that all parole decisions are made under established legal procedures and applied to all inmates under the same criteria, regardless of status.
