On the 25th, Thailand's Department of Corrections under the Ministry of Justice issued an official document detailing the parole procedure and timeline for former Prime Minister Thaksin.
The document states that Thaksin is currently serving his sentence at Bangkok’s Klong Prem Central Prison, and in accordance with the Supreme Court Criminal Division’s verdict, former Prime Minister Thaksin was sentenced to one year in prison, with the sentence to be carried out starting September 9, 2025.
As for the parole procedure, any convicted and incarcerated individual who meets all eligibility requirements under Article 52(7) of the 2017 Correctional Act, the 2019 Ministerial Regulation on Prisoners’ Rights, Sentence Reduction and Parole Release Conditions, and its 2021 second amendment, can apply. Thus, Thaksin must actually serve two-thirds of the original sentence to have the right to parole, and the parole period must not exceed one-third of the original sentence, which in this case is one year.
The parole application must be reviewed and approved by the Probation Review Subcommittee. Thaksin’s qualifying date is May 10, 2026, and if approved, parole could be executed the following day (May 11).
Regarding the calculation of prison time, the Department of Corrections strictly follows Article 21 of the Penal Code: when calculating the sentence, each full day from the date of entry is counted, regardless of the hour; one month is calculated as 30 days; one year is calculated by the Gregorian calendar. Two-thirds of a one-year sentence (365 days) totals 8 months and 4 days, or 244 days, which, in Thaksin’s case, corresponds to May 10, 2026, making the eligible parole date May 11, 2026.
Additionally, whether Thaksin needs to wear an electronic monitoring device will be determined by the Probation Review Subcommittee on a case-by-case basis.
The Department of Corrections emphasizes that the probation review for each convicted inmate strictly adheres to the law, ministerial regulations, guidelines, operational instructions, and human rights principles, with absolutely no selective treatment or actions beyond legal provisions.