Thai ex-PM Thaksin makes first public appearance since release

According to an AFP writer at the image, values of media camped out in front of the temple where Thaksin prayed from around 5am while wearing a blue clothing and a chest prepare.

He will travel to Chiang Mai, where he is currently residing, eventually today to meet with his family, supporters, and worship at the tombs of his relatives.

He was accompanied by his child Paetongtarn, then head of his Pheu Thai group, and her husband.

After 15 years of self-exile, the 74-year-old lawmaker returned to the country in August, and he was soon imprisoned for eight years on charges dating back to his day as leader.

However, King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced Thaksin’s sentence to one year after his return, and next month, the government announced that because of his age and health, he could face an earlier release.

The original Manchester City manager’s returning to Thailand was made shortly after his Pheu Thai led a coalition government that included all of his former military allies.

Some people came to the conclusion that a backroom deal had been struck to shorten his prison time, a recommendation that the Pheu Thai-led government refrained from doing so.

Ramet Rattanachaweng, spokeswoman for the nationalist Democrat group, said the government would be watching carefully to see if Thaksin is being given special treatment.

” He is on probation. If he gets something beyond normal laws, the parole and corrections agencies will have to discuss themselves”, Ramet said.