BANGKOK: Jailed former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is to be released, the country’s justice minister said on Tuesday, possibly as soon as the weekend. Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said that about 930 prisoners, including (Thaksin) will have their sentence deferred. The Minister added that he is in the group where they are in critical condition. The former Prime Minister will be freed after six months automatically, the minister informed the media.
Earlier, Thai police have also charged Thaksin Shinawatra with insulting the country’s ruler over remarks he made almost ten years ago.
Jailed Ex-Prime Minister to be Freed: Minister
Authorities said that the complaint concerns a 2015 interview that the ex-PM gave while in South Korea.
The case was filed by the military government that ran Thailand following overthrowing a government in the country in 2014.
Prayuth Pecharakun, spokesman for the attorney general’s office said that the long delay in acting on the case was due to Thaksin’s absence from the country.
