‘I lose my freedom today’: Thailand’s Thaksin jailed in fall from grace

September 9, 2025 2:06 PM

‘I lose my freedom today’: Thailand’s Thaksin jailed in fall from grace

A smiling Thaksin Shinawatra arrived at Thailand's Supreme Court on Tuesday morning in his black and silver Mercedes Maybach luxury sedan, dressed in a dark suit and a yellow tie. But the former Thai prime minister left the court complex bereft of the trappings of power, escorted into a plain silver van by Corrections Department officials, the collar of his white shirt unbuttoned and cuffs folded up. After nearly two decades of dodging punishment, Thailand's most influential and polarising pol...

Thai ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra jailed as court rules hospital stay unlawful

September 9, 2025 12:57 PM

Thai ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra jailed as court rules hospital stay unlawful

Thailand's influential former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was sent to prison on Tuesday after the Supreme Court ruled his time in hospital detention was an attempt to avoid jail, a major blow for a powerful family that has dominated politics for two decades. The polarising billionaire had spent only a few hours in prison upon his return from 15 years of self-exile in August 2023 before he was hospitalised after complaining of heart trouble and chest pains, prompting widespread scepticism ...