THAILAND’S former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released from a Bangkok prison today 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 billionaire.

Mr 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 removal triggered nearly two decades of deep and sometimes violent political polarisation, while his political machine staged several comebacks even as Mr Thaksin himself stayed in self-imposed exile to escape what he said was political persecution through the courts.

Responding to reporters’ questions as he arrived at his Bangkok home, he said: “I was in hibernation, I can’t remember anything now.”

Mr Thaksin’s policies such as 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 north-east.

But he was found guilty of abuse of power, including using his position to benefit his own business interests and illegally approving a state lottery project that caused losses to the government.