Former Thai PM Thaksin released on parole

Thailand's convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released from Bangkok's Klong Prem Central Prison on Monday after being allowed to complete the remaining four months of his one-year sentence on parole.

According to the Department of Corrections, Thaksin was among over 850 inmates granted early release at a parole committee meeting last month, citing his age of over 70 and the fact that he had less than a year of jail time left to justify the eligibility.

The department has said that he must comply with strict probation conditions, including wearing an electronic monitoring device, accepting parole supervision, reporting to the regulatory authorities on time, and not leaving the country until his one-year sentence formally concludes on Sept. 9.