Thailand's divisive ex-PM is out of jail, but is the Thaksin era over?

Thaksin seems incapable of taking a back seat. This time, it really could be different. Thaksin Shinawatra: Thailand's ex-PM is out of jail, but is his era over? Watch: Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra released from prison Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Thaksin hugs his daughter upon being released from prison Thailand's divisive ex-PM is out of jail, but is the Thaksin era over? Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra released from prison For a man who spent most of the past 20 years in exile, and the past eight months in jail, the figure of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra still looms large over Thailand. His release from prison at the age of 76 after serving part of a one-year sentence for corruption and abuses of power during his terms as prime minister from 2001 to 2006, was headline news in Thailand. Hundreds of supporters wearing red cheered as Thaksin emerged from Bangkok's Klong Prem jail on Monday, wearing a white shirt and short cropped hair. Thaksin told reporters soon after his release that he was in good health and was "relieved". He was greeted outside Bangkok's Klong Prem prison by family members, including his daughter and protege, former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Thaksin's party Pheu Thai's insistence that from now on he will remain in the background could not stop feverish media speculation over what role he might still play in Thai politics. From the moment he swept to power in January 2001 Thaksin, a brash, self-made billionaire, has sought to reshape his country, winning devoted supporters and bitter opponents in equal measure. His parties kept winning elections, even after he was deposed by a coup in September 2006, but fear of his vaunting ambition in the powerful royalist establishment led to multiple court rulings against his allies, years of violent street clashes, and another coup in 2014. From the moment he swept to power in January 2001 Thaksin, a brash, self-made billionaire, has sought to reshape his country, winning devoted supporters and bitter opponents in equal measure. , even after he was deposed by a coup in September 2006, but fear of his vaunting ambition in the powerful royalist establishment led to multiple court rulings against his allies, years of violent street clashes, and another coup in 2014. Yet he refused to step back. He continued to run his party from abroad, and, after an apparent "grand bargain", his conservative opponents allowed him to come home in 2023, to direct it once it was back in government again. Yet he refused to step back. He continued to run his party from abroad, and, after an apparent "grand bargain", his conservative opponents allowed him to come home in 2023 , to direct it once it was back in government again. His continued popularity was evident outside the prison where his supporters had gathered. One of them - Maysa Lombuarot - had driven 700km (435 miles) to see him released. "Today I brought him 20kg of lychees. I know he likes them. Now that he's free, I want him to eat something good," she told the BBC, adding that she hoped he would continue his political career. "I want him to help the country, to help the people who are suffering so much right now... only he can deliver what he promised," she said. And Thaksin does seem incapable of taking a back seat, whatever he may say about spending more time with his grandchildren. Thaksin has sought to reshape his country from the moment he swept the power in January 2001 Thaksin, smiling and holding his hands in a prayer pose, stands among a sea of supporters Thaksin Shinawatra, wearing a dark suit and a light blue shirt, gestures as he speaks into a microphone while on stage. He is sitting in front of a large red brightly-lit backdrop. This time, though, it really could be different. Thaksin was jailed last September, after the Supreme Court ruled that the six months he spent in a police hospital after his return to Thailand had been a ruse to avoid serving his sentence. , after the Supreme Court ruled that the six months he spent in a police hospital after his return to Thailand had been a ruse to avoid serving his sentence. This verdict followed the collapse of the Pheu Thai-led coalition government less than two weeks earlier, when the Constitutional Court dismissed his daughter Paetongtarn as prime minister over a leaked phone conversation she had had with the Cambodian leader Hun Sen over how to handle the border dispute between the two countries. Once again, the powerful, conservative courts were determining his party's fate, as they have so often in the recent past. This verdict followed the collapse of the Pheu Thai-led coalition government less than two weeks earlier, when the Constitutional Court dismissed his daughter Paetongtarn as prime minister over a leaked phone conversation she had had with the Cambodian leader Hun Sen over how to handle the border dispute between the two countries. Once again, the powerful, conservative courts were determining his party's fate, as they have so often in the recent past. While Thaksin was behind bars, Pheu Thai had its worst-ever result in the February general election. It was pushed down to third place behind the reformist People's Party, and eclipsed by the conservative Bhumjaithai party, which benefitted from a surge of nationalist sentiment after the border war with Cambodia. Pheu Thai has been forced to accept being a junior coalition partner in the new government. While Thaksin was behind bars, Pheu Thai had its worst-ever result in the February general election. It was pushed down to third place behind the reformist People's Party, and eclipsed by the conservative Bhumjaithai party , which benefitted from a surge of nationalist sentiment after the border war with Cambodia. Pheu Thai has been forced to accept being a junior coalition partner in the new government. "Thaksin emerges from prison to a new political environment", says political analyst Ken Lohatepanont. "Pheu Thai has been sidelined as just a mid-sized party. You can never count Thaksin out, but the challenge that he and his Party face is of a different magnitude to those he has faced in the past. Pheu Thai will have to decide whether a public comeback for Thaksin will boost the party, or whether the party might be better served by placing the spotlight on their newer generation leaders." While Thaksin was behind bars, his party Pheu Thai had its worst-ever result in the February election Supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, holding a banner with the former PM's face and a pink garland over it, wait for his release on parole after serving eight months of his one-year sentence at Klong Prem Central Prison in Bangkok The jury is still out in Thailand over why the "grand bargain" with royalist forces which had allowed Thaksin to end his long exile in 2023 collapsed so quickly. Had the conservatives always intended to use the courts to cripple the governments his party led? His first choice of prime minister was also dismissed by the courts on a seemingly trivial pretext. Or were they provoked into moving against him by his refusal to stay in the background, his determination to drive his party's agenda and to explore new and controversial areas of business? Either way, the mistrust between Thaksin and Thai conservatives is now probably insurmountable. Even if he does still hanker after a prominent political role, he will almost certainly be barred from getting one. The past 25 years in Thailand could reasonably be called "the Thaksin era". That era is almost certainly over. If convicted in a Senate trial, which is uncertain, she will be disqualified from running for president. He said the austerity measures would reduce India's fuel use and help save foreign exchange. For the last three decades, one man and his political dynasty have loomed large over Thailand's politics. Vincent Agar, 80, is jailed for 19 years after being extradited from Thailand to face justice. Rory McColl had his passport confiscated after what he claims was a mix-up and faces a three month wait for a court hearing. Officials say each monk was found with around 5kg of Kush - a particularly potent form of the drug - hidden within "false walls" in their luggage. Gawdland spoke to the BBC shortly after she was crowned the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK versus the World. After having his passport confiscated by police, Rory McColl was released on bail but unable to leave the country.