Thai ex-PM Thaksin returns home from police hospital

BANGKOK, Thailand — Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived back at his Bangkok home from police hospital early Sunday, just six months after he was arrested following a dramatic return to the kingdom from 15 years of self-imposed exile.

The controversial billionaire, twice elected premier and ousted in a 2006 military coup, was jailed for eight years on graft and abuse-of-power charges upon his return in August.

But his sentence was cut to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn within days of his return and the government said last week the 74-year-old was eligible for early release because of his age and health.

Thaksin -- wearing a neck brace and sitting next to his daughters Paetongtarn and Pintongta -- was driven away Sunday from the police hospital in central Bangkok where he has spent the last half year.

A handful of people protesting his release had gathered in front of the hospital.

The car then drove to Thaksin's home, where a welcome-home banner was tied across the gates.

One woman wearing a T-shirt with a picture of Thaksin emblazoned across the front said she had stood outside his house for two days.

"I want to tell him to fight," she told local media. "If he is (here), the country will develop."

The exact details of his release are not clear, but Thaksin may be subject to monitoring -- possibly with an ankle tag -- and restrictions on his right to travel.

The former Manchester City owner's arrival in Thailand came on the same day his Pheu Thai party returned to government in alliance with pro-military parties, leading many to conclude that a backroom deal had been struck to cut his jail time.

The rumours grew stronger when he was transferred to a police hospital within hours of being sentenced because of his poor health.

He was reportedly suffering from chest tightness and high blood pressure when he was admitted to hospital, and his family have said he underwent two operations in the following months.

The government has denied any deal and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, of the Pheu Thai party, has insisted "he already served his jail time" -- although it is not clear that Thaksin has spent any time in a prison cell.

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