Thailand's Thaksin released from prison after serving 8 months for abuse of power

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand ’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose 21st-century political odyssey sharply divided Thai society for decades, was released from a Bangkok prison on Monday after serving eight months of a one-year sentence for a corruption-related charge.

A crowd of about 300 supporters and political allies gathered outside the Klong Prem Central Prison to greet the 76-year-old billionaire populist.

Thaksin was a telecommunications magnate who founded his own political party in 1998 and served as prime minister from 2001 until a military coup ousted him in 2006 while he was abroad. His ouster triggered nearly two decades of deep and sometimes violent political polarization, while his political machine staged several comebacks even as Thaksin himself stayed in self-imposed exile to escape what he said was political persecution through the courts.

His three children, including former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and other family members also arrived early to welcome him.

Thaksin emerged from the prison gate in a white polo shirt and blue pants and was embraced by his family. He smiled brightly as he walked around to greet his supporters who chanted “we love Thaksin,” and gave red roses to him. He then left without speaking to reporters.

He arrived at his residence in western Bangkok about an hour later. In a video streamed by Thairath News, Thaksin was seen rolling down the car window to greet a small group of supporters waiting at his home, responding to reporters' shouted questions that “I was in hibernation, I can't remember anything now.”

Thaksin was the first elected prime minister in Thai history to serve a full four-year term. Policies like a national healthcare scheme and projects to build roads in less developed parts of the country drew devoted support from the poorer segments of society, particularly in the rural north and northeast, but his popularity and sometimes high-handed style created deep fractures between his base and the country’s urban elites, royalists, and military.

He was charged with abuse of power over allegations including using his position to benefit his own business interests and illegally approving a state lottery project that caused losses to the government.

Thaksin was convicted in absentia, but returned to Thailand to be sentenced in 2023 as the Pheu Thai Party, his most recent political vehicle, formed a government. He was widely believed to have reached a secret accommodation with the traditional royalist establishment. He was originally sentenced to eight years in prison, but it was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, which he was granted permission to serve from a suite in Bangkok’s Police Hospital on medical grounds.

After protests that he had received unwarranted special treatment, the Supreme Court in September 2025 ordered Thaksin to serve his sentence in prison.

A Justice Ministry panel agreed last month to grant him parole as part of a review of more than 900 eligible prisoners’ cases, citing his good behavior in prison, his age and the low risk that he would repeat his offense.

After his release, Thaksin will be on probation for four months, during which he must reside at his declared home in Bangkok, wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, and report regularly to probation officials.

Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn became the country’s youngest prime minister in 2024 but was removed from office by the Constitutional Court in August 2025 after a recording was released of a compromising phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.

The Pheu Thai party managed only a third-place finish in this year’s general election.

Former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra shakes hands with his supporters from inside a car after he was released from a Bangkok prison in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, center, hugs his daughters, former Prime Minister Paetongtarn, left, and Pinthongta, after he was released on parole from a Bangkok prison in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra walks out of a Bangkok prison as he gets released on parole in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Supporters of former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra wave and hold banner after he was released on parole from a Bangkok prison in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, center, gestures to his supporters following his release on parole from a Bangkok prison in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

LITTLETON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2026--

Proton therapy is entering the LINAC vault. At ESTRO 2026, Mevion Medical Systems will introduce the MEVION S250-FIT Proton Therapy System to the European radiation oncology community, the first proton therapy system designed for installation in a standard radiation therapy vault.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260507172087/en/

Now both U.S. FDA-cleared and CE-marked under Regulation (EU) 2017/745, the S250-FIT creates a new pathway for cancer centers to bring proton therapy into existing LINAC-based treatment environments, aligning advanced proton capability with the infrastructure, workflows, and capital planning of modern radiation oncology.

Stanford Medicine: First S250-FIT Installation

On April 7, 2026, Stanford Medicine unveiled the world’s first S250-FIT installation, developed in collaboration with Leo Cancer Care. The system was fully installed within a standard 110 m² (1,200 sq ft) LINAC vault inside the existing Stanford Medicine Cancer Center in Palo Alto, without constructing a new building.

“With FIT ™, proton therapy is no longer limited by infrastructure,” said Tina Yu, Ph.D., CEO and President of Mevion Medical Systems. “For the first time, it can be deployed within the same clinical and operational framework as conventional radiotherapy. For European health systems that have long recognized the benefits of proton therapy but faced significant infrastructure and financial barriers, this changes the question from whether to build a separate proton facility to how to integrate proton therapy into the radiotherapy programs they already operate.”

Advanced Capability in a Compact Footprint

The S250-FIT delivers Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy via Mevion's HYPERSCAN® pencil beam scanning with the Adaptive Aperture® proton multi-leaf collimator and is designed to support DirectARC™ proton arc therapy. The system supports advanced image-guided and adaptive workflows and is FLASH research-ready.* The system is paired with Leo Cancer Care’s Marie® Upright Patient Positioning and CT Imaging System, the first commercial upright treatment platform with an integrated diagnostic CT, offering potential benefits in patient comfort and supporting organ motion management during treatment.

Built on Decades of U.S. and European Clinical Experience

The S250-FIT shares its core technology lineage with the MEVION S250i®, in clinical operation at Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine in the U.S. and at ZON-PTC at Maastro Clinic in the Netherlands, giving Mevion more than a decade of combined U.S. and European clinical experience with compact, single-room proton therapy. Mevion has now signed contracts with nine leading institutions globally for the S250-FIT, including Stanford Health Care, Loma Linda University Health, UNC Health, BayCare Health System, Atlantic Health System, and University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Meet Mevion at ESTRO 2026

Visit Mevion at Booth #C08:89 to engage with the Mevion team and discuss site planning, clinical workflows, and integration pathways with our clinical and engineering leadership.

*The FLASH Research Kit is not currently available for commercial sale or for human clinical use.

About Mevion Medical Systems

Mevion Medical Systems is the leading provider of compact proton therapy systems for cancer care. Dedicated to advancing the design and accessibility of proton therapy worldwide, Mevion pioneered the single-room platform and continues to further the science and application of proton therapy. Since 2013, Mevion’s compact proton therapy single-room systems have been used by leading cancer centers for treating patients. Mevion’s series of products, including the flagship MEVION S250i and MEVION S250-FIT™ with HYPERSCAN pencil beam scanning, represent the world’s most compact proton therapy systems that eliminate the obstacles of size, complexity, and cost. Mevion is headquartered in Littleton, Massachusetts, with a presence in Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.mevion.com.

The MEVION S250-FIT™ Proton Therapy System