Influential former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has escaped pre-trial detention after the Criminal Court granted him bail on a royal defamation charge.

Four high-profile political cases will be the subject of court hearings next week. They have the potential to decide the fate of Thailand and include petitions to dismiss Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and to dissolve the progressive Move Forward Party.

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been indicted for royal defamation arising from an interview he gave to a South Korean newspaper in 2015.

Last Friday (15 March), a group of Red Shirts seeking justice for victims of the 2010 Red Shirt crackdowns were blocked by the police when they sought to meet former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at Pra That Doi Suthep Temple in Chiang Mai.

Sitanun Satsaksit, sister of missing activist in exile Wanchalearm Satsaksit, was met by a police blockade yesterday (21 February) when she attempted to protest in front of the Shinawatra family residence during a visit by former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen with Thaksin Shinawatra.

After being detained at the Police Hospital since August 2023, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been released on parole.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been transferred from prison to a hospital due to concerns over his high blood pressure and low blood oxygen level after being sent to jail for convictions in criminal cases.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who returned from exile, has been detained and is being closely monitored due to his vulnerable health and pre-existing medical conditions, including lung, heart, blood pressure, and spinal issues.

Thaksin Shinawatra, the ousted prime minister who returned from self-exile, has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for convictions in 3 cases passed on him in absentia.

As soon as his private jet lands in Thailand, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has lived in exile for 17 years, will be taken to the Supreme Court for processing into the judicial system.

The next PM vote, along with one to amend Section 272, will take place on 4 August 2023, the same day that the Constitutional Court considers the petition regarding Pita Limjaroenrat’s renomination. The House Speaker insisted Thaksin’s return is of no concern to parliament.

​​​​​​​Pheu Thai leader Chonlanan Srikaew confirmed that the Amnesty Bill referred to in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Move Forward Party (MFP) and Pheu Thai Party (PTP) on July 3, focuses only on cases related to political expression, assembly, and protest, and does not include cases under Article 112 or Thaksin's cases