BANGKOK — Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released early from prison on Monday, raising the prospect of a return to the spotlight for the political heavyweight.
The 76-year-old telecoms billionaire had been serving a one-year prison sentence for corruption since September, and will be required to wear an electronic monitor during his four-month probation period.
Thaksin hugged family members outside the Bangkok jail where several hundred supporters wearing their signature red shirts had gathered, some shouting “we love Thaksin,” according to an AFP journalist at the scene.