16-4-2024 (BANGKOK) After years spent abroad as a fugitive, former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra could soon follow in the footsteps of her brother, Thaksin, and make a highly anticipated return to Thailand, according to political analyst and law professor Thanaporn Sriyakul. This possibility has captured the public’s attention, particularly after Thaksin, who recently returned from self-imposed exile, expressed his longing for Yingluck’s presence in Chiang Mai next year.
Thaksin’s return to Thailand on August 22, 2023, after years of self-exile, and his subsequent release on parole, has reignited speculation about Yingluck’s potential homecoming. During a visit to his home province of Chiang Mai over the Songkran holiday, Thaksin openly shared his desire for Yingluck to join him, stirring further discussions among observers.
With Yingluck having been cleared of charges in two separate cases and facing conviction and imprisonment in only one remaining case, analysts believe the path for her return may be more feasible now than ever before.
In 2017, Yingluck was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison for her failure to halt the corruption-plagued government-to-government rice deal under her administration’s rice-pledging scheme. However, in December of last year, the Supreme Court acquitted her of malfeasance in her 2011 transfer of the National Security Council’s secretary-general. Just last month, she was once again cleared by the Supreme Court of malfeasance and collusion charges related to the awarding of a 240-million-baht PR campaign.
Thanaporn on Monday outlined two potential scenarios that could facilitate Yingluck’s return to Thailand. The first involves the Pheu Thai-led government coalition passing an amnesty act, effectively pardoning Yingluck for any offenses committed during her term in office.
However, Thanaporn cautioned that this approach is less likely to gain traction, as Yingluck’s case revolves around corruption allegations rather than political motivations, unlike her brother’s ouster by the 2006 military coup. “Passing the amnesty act for Yingluck will only benefit her and not other political fugitives and prisoners from past political clashes, and could be seen as a personal favor,” he stated.
The second approach, according to Thanaporn, involves amending the Justice Ministry’s correctional regulations for political prisoners. This would allow Yingluck to apply for royal commutation upon her arrival in Thailand, potentially bypassing the current rule that only permits prisoners aged over 60 to serve the remainder of their sentences at their residences – a privilege that the 74-year-old Thaksin received.
“Amending the regulations requires no approval from the Parliament and is therefore easier to do,” Thanaporn explained, adding that the new regulations may also benefit the 56-year-old Yingluck, who currently falls short of the age requirement for the residential sentence privilege.
Thaksin’s own return to Thailand last year was marked by a series of legal maneuvers. Initially, he was supposed to serve his eight-year sentence immediately upon arrival, but was instead transferred from prison to the Police Hospital on his very first night. His eight-year term was subsequently commuted by royal clemency to just one year, and after “being treated” in the hospital for six months, he became eligible for parole.
