Paroled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will become a free man tomorrow, thanks to an amnesty issued under a Royal Decree on the occasion of HM the King’s sixth cycle birthday.
The Royal Decree, countersigned by Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, was published in the Royal Gazette today and will come into force tomorrow.
Under the decree, about 7,500 convicts on parole, including Thaksin, will be freed. The former prime minister has already been on parole from Police General Hospital, where he had spent six months, since February 18th.
50,000 convicts will also be released from prisons throughout the country, while over 200,000 inmates are entitled to reductions of their jail terms, in accordance with the regulations of the Corrections Department.
According to the Corrections Department’s records up to August 16th, there were 290,749 prisoners in detention. These include 220,094 prisoners whose cases are finalised, among whom are 192,898 males and 27,196 females.
