Thailand’s jailed former premier Thaksin Shinawatra granted parole

Thailand’s former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who last year returned from exile to serve a prison sentence for misdeeds committed while in office, has been granted parole and could be released this weekend (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who last year returned from more than a decade of self-imposed exile to serve a prison sentence for misdeeds committed while in office, has been granted parole and could be released this weekend, the country’s justice minister announced on Tuesday.

The move would be a symbol of reconciliation between Thaksin’s populist political party and the country’s conservative establishment, a rivalry that defined Thai politics for nearly 20 years and led to two military coups.