Thaksin backers camp out awaiting release of jailed ex-Thai PM

Former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra is set to walk out of a Bangkok prison to the cheers of loyal supporters, returning to a political landscape transformed by the decisive victory of the rival conservative Bhumjaithai Party in February elections.



The 76-year-old patriarch of the Shinawatra clan is being paroled after serving eight months in prison for corruption.



The Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai party is in the ruling coalition, but its third-place electoral finish was a disappointment for a family whose various parties finished first in every vote from 2001 to 2019.



That presents a challenge for Thaksin, who is expected to attempt once again to revive his family’s political fortunes after their dominance for a quarter century.