Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been sent back to prison after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that his extended hospitalisation following his return from self-imposed exile was unjustified, Reuters reported.

The court found that both Thaksin and his doctors had colluded to avoid serving his sentence behind bars.

The 76-year-old billionaire and political powerbroker was returned to prison on Tuesday, marking the latest chapter in a turbulent political career that has dominated Thai politics for over two decades.

His re-incarceration comes amid a wave of political turmoil, just days after the collapse of the latest government led by his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

READ ALSO:Thailand’s Suspended PM Faces Court Over Leaked Cambodia Call

Thaksin had returned to Thailand in August 2023 after 15 years abroad and was sentenced to eight years for corruption and abuse of power during his 2001–2006 premiership.

The sentence was later commuted to one year by royal pardon. However, he spent only a few hours in prison before being moved to a hospital, citing heart issues and chest pain.

He remained there for six months until his release on parole.

The Supreme Court found that Thaksin’s hospital stay was unwarranted and that minor surgeries were performed to extend his time outside prison.

“The defendant knew the facts or was aware the situation was not a critical emergency.

READ ALSO:Thai Police Rescue Eight-year-old Boy Living With Dogs, Unable To Speak

“The defendant only had a chronic condition that could be treated as an outpatient and did not require hospitalisation,” the court said in its ruling.

According to Reuters, television footage showed Thaksin being escorted by corrections officers and arriving at a Bangkok jail shortly after the court’s decision.

The images gripped the nation as yet another chapter closed for the Shinawatra family, which has produced six premiers either removed by coup or court order.

Despite the setback, Thaksin expressed no regret. “I may no longer have freedom, but have freedom of thought to create benefit for the country and people,” he said on social media.

READ ALSO:FG Unveils New Scheme To Control Inflation, Create jobs

He also stated that he was proud of his public service, noting his efforts to uplift living standards and shift the political landscape.

Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn, who was removed from office on August 29, was visibly emotional outside the court. “Me and my family are concerned,” she told reporters, adding, “This is quite heavy.”

Anutin Charnvirakul, the incoming prime minister and a former member of Thaksin’s party, expressed sympathy.

“I am saddened, I sympathise with him.

READ ALSO:24-year-old Thai Lady Arrested At Lagos Airport With Illicit Drugs

“For someone who has governed the country, I don’t want him to face something like this,” Anutin said.

Thaksin remains a divisive figure in Thailand. Once a police officer who became a telecom magnate, he won the loyalty of rural and working-class voters with populist policies such as cash handouts, healthcare reforms, and farm subsidies.

However, his rise angered Thailand’s conservative elite, including the military and judiciary, leading to repeated clashes and his eventual ousting in a 2006 coup.

Thaksin is the first former Thai prime minister to be jailed. Whether this signals the end of his political career or yet another chapter remains to be seen.

The newly appointed health minister in Sweden, Elisabet Lann, collapsed during a press conference on Tuesday at the start of the new parliamentary year of 2025-2026.

The minister, a municipal councillor in Gothenburg, was announced as health minister on Tuesday after her predecessor, Acko Ankarberg Johansson, suddenly resigned the day before.

Lann, who is from the Christian Democratic Congress, was accompanied by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and other officials when she suddenly collapsed on the stage, hitting her head on the lectern in the process.

READ ALSO:Palestinians Flee As Israel Intensifies Assault On Gaza City

The party leader Ebba Busch and other officials present quickly stepped in to help the minister, who received proper attention from security personnel before being led out of the room.

Lann returned to the event room shortly after saying, “This was not exactly a normal Tuesday, and this is what can happen when you have a blood sugar drop.”

However, it was not clear to the people present at the event whether Lann required any medical treatment, though she did not appear to be injured. The press conference was abruptly cancelled.

READ ALSO:10 Killed In Nepal Protest Over Social Media Ban

According to Euractiv, it was reported that Lann told reporters that the country’s healthcare system is of high quality, but the long queues need to be addressed.

“Swedish healthcare is of high quality; the main issue is the long waiting times. We must transition to equitable healthcare. It is clear that we must strengthen government control. It is not worthy of a welfare state that so many people are waiting for healthcare,” She added.

Watch video here

https://t.co/uNT770SNo2

A former lawmaker representing Kogi West senatorial district, Senator Dino Melaye, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party is “dead and buried,” alleging that the party is now under the control of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Speaking in an interview on Arise Television, Melaye dismissed any hopes of revival for the opposition party, saying it no longer operates independently.

“Apart from our Lord Jesus Christ, no dead can rise again. PDP is dead and buried. The party was sold, and I’m not sure they even got the payment receipt. What you have now is an APC-controlled PDP,” he said.

READ ALSO:Israeli Strike Kills Al Jazeera Journalist In Gaza

Melaye, who previously contested under the PDP platform, accused unnamed agents of the APC of infiltrating and steering the affairs of the party from the presidential villa.

“It is a party that has been controlled from the villa. I have said before that as far as we are concerned, it is the agents of the APC that control the PDP,” he added.

The former senator, however, stated that he is no longer a member of the PDP and has now pitched his tent with the African Democratic Congress which he described as the platform capable of defeating President Bola Tinubu’s APC government in the next general elections.

READ ALSO:Israeli Strike Kills Al Jazeera Journalist In Gaza

“I’m a proud member of the ADC, and by the grace of God, that is the party that will unseat Tinubu and send APC out of the villa come May 29, 2027,” Melaye stated.

While steering the discussion away from the PDP’s internal issues, Melaye urged Nigerians to focus on pressing national challenges.

“There are critical issues bedevilling this country: hunger, malnutrition, misgovernance, and maladministration. Those are the issues I think we should discuss, not a dead party,” he said.