By Napat Wesshasartar
BANGKOK, May 11 (Reuters) - Thailand's influential former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released from prison on Monday, after about eight months behind bars following a court ruling that deemed he had wrongfully stayed in hospital to avoid jail time.
The 76-year-old billionaire remade and dominated Thai politics for a quarter-century, but his influence has waned of late following his jailing and his once formidable Pheu Thai Party's worst election performance on record earlier this year.
His hair closely cropped and in a simple white shirt, Thaksin walked out of prison around 7:40 a.m. local time (0040 GMT) and was immediately surrounded by family members, including his daughter and protégé, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was sacked as prime minister by a court order last August, weeks before his incarceration.
Hundreds of supporters who had thronged outside Bangkok's Klong Prem Central Prison since the early hours of Monday chanted "we love Thaksin" as he greeted them on his release, having served about two-thirds of his sentence before being paroled.
RETURN FROM EXILE
After 15 years in self-exile, Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023 to face an eight-year sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power while prime minister from 2001-2006 that had been commuted to one year by the king.
But he was in prison for only a few hours following his homecoming, complaining of heart trouble and chest pains, then spent six months in the VIP wing of a hospital until he was freed on parole.
In September last year, the Supreme Court ruled Thaksin must serve that time in prison, concluding he and his doctors had intentionally prolonged his hospital stay with minor surgeries that were unnecessary
He is required to wear an electronic ankle monitor for the remainder of his sentence, according to the corrections department.
Rommanee Nakano, a 76-year-old supporter from northern Chiang Rai province, said Thaksin should have never received a punishment.
"He is a very good person," she said, ahead of his release. "Whatever he did, he did it for the people. He just wanted the people to be well-fed and have enough to live on."
(Reporting by Napat Wesshasartar, Thomas Suen and Chayut Setboonsarng; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Martin Petty)
