Thaksin Shinawatra, an influential political figure within the ruling party, was due to serve a prison sentence for corruption. The former Prime Minister, convicted in corruption cases, remained in exile in Dubai for fifteen years to escape his sentence.
He was arrested when he got off the plane and taken to prison where he did not even spend the night, before being transferred to a suite in a private hospital. The government assures that his release is due to his old age, 74, and his state of health, high blood pressure.