By Wilawan Watcharasakwe
Thailand’s king reduced former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s prison term to one year from eight years, the Royal Gazette said on Friday, a day after the tycoon applied for a pardon.
The announcement did not say whether King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) was granting Thaksin an outright pardon through his decision.
“[D]ue to his past history as a prime minister … the King acknowledged the matter, [and] therefore reduced the sentence to one year in jail so that he can use his expertise and experience to contribute to the nation, society and people,” the announcement read.
Thaksin, 74, a billionaire telecoms tycoon and patriarch of the Pheu Thai party, which returned to power last week, came home 10 days ago after 15 years of self-exile. He fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid serving eight years in prison for corruption and abuse of power, in a case…
