Thai king pardons ex-PM Thaksin in birthday amnesty

Bangkok [Thailand], August 18: Thailand's controversial former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been granted a royal pardon, his lawyer said Saturday, a day after his daughter became the kingdom's new premier. The 75-year-old billionaire is one of thousands granted amnesty by King Maha Vajiralongkorn in a gesture of clemency to mark his birthday. Thaksin was jailed for eight years on graft and abuse of power charges dating back to his time in power when he returned to the kingdom almost a year ago after 15 years of self-exile.
But his sentence was cut to one year by the king and he was later released on parole because of his age and poor health. The amnesty was announced in the official Royal Gazette, and Thaksin's lawyer Winyat Chatmontree said that the two-time premier benefitted. "Thaksin Shinawatra is among those granted the royal pardon," he said on his personal Facebook account. "He will later receive a document from the prison saying he is a free man."
The Royal Gazette published on Saturday said that "the king had given opportunities for those to improve themselves and benefit their country". The pardon for prisoners with good conduct came almost a month after King Vajiralongkorn celebrated his 72th birthday in late July. The ex-PM was originally set to complete his one-year parole on August 31.
Shinawatra heiress as PM
Meanwhile, the 37-year-old daughter of billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra became Thailand's prime minister Friday, the third member of the influential but divisive clan to lead the country. Paetongtarn Shinawatra - the youngest leader in Thailand's history as a constitutional monarchy and the second woman premier after her aunt Yingluck - assumes office after two court rulings that threw the kingdom's politics into turmoil.
She will hope to avoid the fate of her father and aunt, both of whom were ousted as PM by the army during a two-decade power struggle between Thaksin and the kingdom's conservative pro-military, pro-royalist establishment. Lawmakers approved Paetongtarn of the Pheu Thai party as premier by 319 votes to 145, House of Representatives Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said on live TV.
Paetongtarn said she was "very honored and happy". "I really hope that I can make people feel confident. I hope to improve the quality of lives and empower all Thais," she told reporters. "I decided that it's about time to do something for the country and the party. I hope that I can do my best to make the country go forward." Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet - like Paetongtarn, the child of a previous premier - sent congratulations. China also congratulated Paetongtarn, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying Beijing stood "ready to work with Thailand to carry forward" the two nations' longstanding ties.
Court rulings
Paetongtarn's elevation to the top job came about after the kingdom's Constitutional Court sacked previous premier Srettha Thavisin for appointing a cabinet minister with a criminal conviction. Srettha's ouster on Wednesday in a case brought by army-appointed former senators was the latest round in the long-running scrap between the Thai elite and populist parties linked to Thaksin, a telecoms tycoon and one-time Manchester City owner. Paetongtarn helped run the hotel arm of the family's business empire before entering politics in late 2022, and she was a near-constant presence on the campaign trail during last year's general election.
That vote saw the upstart progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) win the most seats after pledging to review the country's strict lese-majeste laws and break up powerful business monopolies. But conservative senators - all appointed by the last junta - blocked MFP's attempt to form a government. Pheu Thai subsequently struck an alliance with pro-military parties once staunchly opposed to Thaksin and his followers, leading to Srettha's ascension.
Less than a year later, he became the third Pheu Thai prime minister to be kicked out by the Constitutional Court. Srettha was ousted over his appointment of Pichit Chuenban, a former lawyer associated with Thaksin's family who had a corruption-related conviction. Last week, the top court also voted to dissolve MFP and ban its executive board members from politics for 10 years, though the party swiftly relaunched itself as the People's Party. - AFP
Source: Kuwait Times