Thaksin Shinawatra. AP Photo/Wason Wanitchakorn

 

A political activist group has urged the Department of Corrections to deny any upgrades to the status of Thaksin Shinawatra, potentially allowing him to serve his time outside prison. The People's Alliance for Reform in Thailand, led by activist Pichit Chaimongkol, submitted their petition, insisting the convicted power broker's status should not improve from "medium" to "good" and should instead be downgraded to "bad."

 

This move could prevent leniency for Thaksin, who is currently serving a one-year term at Klong Prem central prison.

 

Thaksin, the de facto boss of the Pheu Thai Party, returned from self-exile after escaping multiple charges of misconduct during his premiership. The activist group argues that, given his history, Thaksin should not receive any special treatment, and his inmate status should reflect his past actions and efforts to avoid justice. Previously sentenced in absentia to eight years, Thaksin's sentence was reduced to one year under a royal decree.

 

This action follows speculation that Thaksin could be granted "detention" outside prison or parole within the next four to six months, due to his potential status upgrade and age. This detention might resemble house arrest with an electronic monitoring bracelet. Thailand's Supreme Court has already ordered Thaksin back to jail after accusations of colluding with officials to avoid prison through a lengthy hospital stay.

 

The activist group's demand underscores the ongoing tensions surrounding Thaksin's incarceration, marking a significant stance on enforcing justice. The call for a downgrade in his status further solidifies the group's stand that there should be no compromise when it comes to the execution of sentencing.

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Activists want Thaksin's prison status downgraded to prevent leniency.
• Speculation exists about Thaksin possibly serving time outside prison soon.
• Supreme Court ordered jail return after alleged collusion to avoid prison.

Related Stories:

Thaksin's Jail Time: How Long Will He Really Serve?

Thaksin Faces Stark Reality in Thai Maximum Security Jail

 

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Thai Newsroom 2025-09-13

 

 

Not a single photo of Tony actually being in prison....

Good thing is for the first time he can use the 30 baht scheme he created .

3 hours ago, webfact said:

A political activist group has urged the Department of Corrections to deny any upgrades to the status of Thaksin Shinawatra, potentially allowing him to serve his time outside prison

 

Very good idea !

1 hour ago, redwood1 said:

Not a single photo of Tony actually being in prison....

 

I think he's in quarantine, next step would be to notify the doctors claiming some sort of sickness.

3 hours ago, Jim Blue said:

Good thing is for the first time he can use the 30 baht scheme he created .

thaskin did not create the 30baht scheme        developed by public-health civil servants, notably Dr. Sanguan Nitayarumphong, since the 1980s. 

 

Discrimination.

An inmate is subject to classification based upon crime and  characteristics such as health and likelihood of violence. The activists want those parameters to be different for Thaksin. The man is a non violent offender and elderly and should be treated like other offenders of that class.

7 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Discrimination.

An inmate is subject to classification based upon crime and  characteristics such as health and likelihood of violence. The activists want those parameters to be different for Thaksin. The man is a non violent offender and elderly and should be treated like other offenders of that class.

Thaksin should not receive any special treatment, 

The Supreme Court Ordered 1 year jail term    nothing was said about early release,parole or house detention  in that order 

15 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Discrimination.

An inmate is subject to classification based upon crime and  characteristics such as health and likelihood of violence. The activists want those parameters to be different for Thaksin. The man is a non violent offender and elderly and should be treated like other offenders of that class.

Non violent? What..........Tony has loads drug war exterminations under his belt..

40 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

thaskin did not create the 30baht scheme        developed by public-health civil servants, notably Dr. Sanguan Nitayarumphong, since the 1980s. 

 

I think you should take all into consideration.

The programme was launched in 2002 during the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, based on foundational developmental work by public-health civil servants, especially Doctor Sanguan Nitayarumphong, beginning in the 1980s.

4 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

I think you should take all into consideration.

The programme was launched in 2002 during the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, based on foundational developmental work by public-health civil servants, especially Doctor Sanguan Nitayarumphong, beginning in the 1980s.

did i not just post that   the point is IT WAS NOT THASKIN idea    he took the credit as a con man would 

 

1 minute ago, MikeandDow said:

did i not just post that 

 

Nah, you tried to take away Thaksin, that about 20 year later took a foundation and developed it into a workable system at current time.

Just now, Gottfrid said:

Nah, you tried to take away Thaksin, that about 20 year later took a foundation and developed it into a workable system at current time.

He did not do anything his minions may have refined the policy his government implemented it  BUT IT WAS NOT HIS IDEA !!!  

8 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

He did not do anything his minions may have refined the policy his government implemented it  BUT IT WAS NOT HIS IDEA !!!  

no, but it got started during his time as PM. You know it´s common talk to give such things to the person in charge. 

He will be found to have leprosy, and exiled to a private leper colony on an island in the southern Pacific, which he owns.  NO ONE is going to go look for him there!

 

 

22 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

no, but it got started during his time as PM. You know it´s common talk to give such things to the person in charge. 

its normal for the inventor to get the credit  but with thaskin NO !!  

1 hour ago, MikeandDow said:

thaskin did not create the 30baht scheme        developed by public-health civil servants, notably Dr. Sanguan Nitayarumphong, since the 1980s. 

 

Please give credit when it’s due

Your hatred for Tony is clouding your facts 

 

The programme was launched in 2002 during the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, based on foundational developmental work by public-health civil servants, especially Doctor Sanguan Nitayarumphong, beginning in the 1980s.

6 minutes ago, Hunz Kittisak said:

Please give credit when it’s due

Your hatred for Tony is clouding your facts 

 

The programme was launched in 2002 during the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, based on foundational developmental work by public-health civil servants, especially Doctor Sanguan Nitayarumphong, beginning in the 1980s.

as i said it was NOT thaskin idea      his government implemented it   so credit it should be given to  Doctor Sanguan Nitayarumphong, whose idea it was  but NO Thaskin as a typical con man took the credit 

and i do not hate him  just think he is evil  

3 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

as i said it was NOT thaskin idea      his government implemented it   so credit it should be given to  Doctor Sanguan Nitayarumphong, whose idea it was  but NO Thaskin as a typical con man took the credit 

and i do not hate him  just think he is evil  

It was implemented during his tenure. 
If that’s your line of reasoning then Tak Bak and drugs war deaths he should be blameless too and not accorded any responsibility 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

 

A political activist group has urged the Department of Corrections to deny any upgrades to the status of Thaksin Shinawatra, potentially allowing him to serve his time outside prison. The People's Alliance for Reform in Thailand, led by activist Pichit Chaimongkol, submitted their petition, insisting the convicted power broker's status should not improve from "medium" to "good" and should instead be downgraded to "bad."

On the grounds that his name starts with "T"?

10 minutes ago, Hunz Kittisak said:

It was implemented during his tenure. 
If that’s your line of reasoning then Tak Bak and drugs war deaths he should be blameless too and not accorded any responsibility 

I d not disagree about the implementation of the policy  just saying it was NOT his idea  

unfortunately he is not blameless for  Tak Bak and drugs war deaths  he is responsible and conning billions out of the thai people 

1 hour ago, redwood1 said:

Non violent? What..........Tony has loads drug war exterminations under his belt..

 

You are applying an arrogant western perspective that reeks of condescending colonial smugness.

Thailand was in the grip of a narco terrorist culture that literally had several regions of the nation under the control of drug cartels. The drug war was a fight for Thailand's survival.

Blaming Thaksin for the excesses of the military is hypocrisy at its worst. Corrupt people used the drug war to settle accounts and to pursue intergang warfare. Many of the deaths  were the result of  criminal officials and not of the Thai government itself. More importantly, the excesses that occurred  during the drug war, were observed  in all the military coups as well. The Thammasat University massacre and torture illustrates that. Blaming Thaksin for the military's wrongdoing is a convenient way to avoid laying responsibility with the people who did the wrongdoing.

1 hour ago, MikeandDow said:

Thaksin should not receive any special treatment, 

The Supreme Court Ordered 1 year jail term    nothing was said about early release,parole or house detention  in that order 

Nothing is said about early release, parole or house detention when any non violent offender is  sentenced. The aforementioned are however allowed for under the existing laws. If your claim was  the reality, no one would be paroled in Thailand.

Looking for to up coming national holidays where prisoners get sentences commuted 

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

 

You are applying an arrogant western perspective that reeks of condescending colonial smugness.

Thailand was in the grip of a narco terrorist culture that literally had several regions of the nation under the control of drug cartels. The drug war was a fight for Thailand's survival.

Blaming Thaksin for the excesses of the military is hypocrisy at its worst. Corrupt people used the drug war to settle accounts and to pursue intergang warfare. Many of the deaths  were the result of  criminal officials and not of the Thai government itself. More importantly, the excesses that occurred  during the drug war, were observed  in all the military coups as well. The Thammasat University massacre and torture illustrates that. Blaming Thaksin for the military's wrongdoing is a convenient way to avoid laying responsibility with the people who did the wrongdoing.

the war on drugs was harshly condemned by the highest authority in the land    nothing to do with western  perspective  and reported by thai papers nothing to do with condescending colonial smugness.

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

 

You are applying an arrogant western perspective that reeks of condescending colonial smugness.

Thailand was in the grip of a narco terrorist culture that literally had several regions of the nation under the control of drug cartels. The drug war was a fight for Thailand's survival.

Blaming Thaksin for the excesses of the military is hypocrisy at its worst. Corrupt people used the drug war to settle accounts and to pursue intergang warfare. Many of the deaths  were the result of  criminal officials and not of the Thai government itself. More importantly, the excesses that occurred  during the drug war, were observed  in all the military coups as well. The Thammasat University massacre and torture illustrates that. Blaming Thaksin for the military's wrongdoing is a convenient way to avoid laying responsibility with the people who did the wrongdoing.

 

....and the excesses of the police?

1 hour ago, MikeandDow said:

its normal for the inventor to get the credit  but with thaskin NO !!  

Please, are you delusional? What you are talking about here, is private inventors with their own company. They get the credit!

if you are a person working in a company/factory and come up with an idea or create something that revolutionize the work or procedure of work, the company take the credit for it and if good enough register the patent.

If you are a leader, PM or General, and people under you invent or create something, the top dog usually take or even gets the credit.

It works like that all over the world. End of!

45 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Please, are you delusional? What you are talking about here, is private inventors with their own company. They get the credit!

if you are a person working in a company/factory and come up with an idea or create something that revolutionize the work or procedure of work, the company take the credit for it and if good enough register the patent.

If you are a leader, PM or General, and people under you invent or create something, the top dog usually take or even gets the credit.

It works like that all over the world. End of!

 1 less of the insults 

2 this is a policy not a physical invention

 3 all i am pointing out that it was NOT thaskins idea 

4 if you cannot carry on a discussion with out insults   you have already lost the discussion   

58 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

 1 less of the insults 

2 this is a policy not a physical invention

 3 all i am pointing out that it was NOT thaskins idea 

4 if you cannot carry on a discussion with out insults   you have already lost the discussion   

It was not an insult, as it came as a question. You had the option to reply that you aren´t.

Just now, Gottfrid said:

It was not an insult, as it came as a question. You had the option to reply that you aren´t.

not interested in trolls