BANGKOK, Sept 9 — Thailand’s Supreme Court has ruled that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve a one-year prison sentence, marking a dramatic turn in the saga of one of the country’s most influential political figures. The verdict comes as a fresh blow to the Shinawatra family, whose political dominance has shaped Thai politics for over two decades.
A Reuters journalist on the scene confirmed that police are now expected to take the billionaire ex-leader into custody. As of the time of the report, Thaksin had not yet left the courthouse.
Thaksin, a deeply polarizing figure, has long been at the center of Thailand’s political turbulence. Loved by many for his populist policies and economic development initiatives, yet criticized by others for alleged corruption and authoritarian tendencies, his return to Thailand last year after years of self-imposed exile reignited both hope and tension across the political spectrum.
For many Thais, the ruling is not just about justice or punishment—it reopens emotional wounds from years of political division, mass protests, and military interventions. This moment is a reminder of how power, legacy, and accountability continue to collide in Thailand’s fragile democratic journey.
But beyond the headlines, there is a human story: of a man who once led a nation, now walking the steps toward a prison cell. And for the Thai people, it’s a day of reckoning that may shape the soul of their political future.
