Steps to remove former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's electronic monitoring (EM) bracelet after receiving a royal pardon, awaiting the court's release order and issuance of a clearance certificate.
On 4 June 2026, internal sources from the Ministry of Justice reported that before former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is under supervised release following a suspended sentence, can have his EM bracelet removed, several steps must be completed. After the royal decree granting pardons is issued, those incarcerated in prisons will be released, and those under supervised release will immediately be freed. Meanwhile, prisons and correctional institutions nationwide are verifying the list of individuals eligible for the royal pardon, which will then be submitted to the local courts by the committee under Section 21 of the royal pardon decree. Once the local courts review and issue release orders to the prisons and correctional facilities, the institutions will prepare to release the pardoned inmates. Each released individual will receive a clearance certificate, also known as the official document confirming the lawful release of the prisoner, serving as evidence that the person has been legally freed.
In cases of supervised release, such as that of the former prime minister, the process requires awaiting a release order from the local court sent to the prison located in the same area as the supervised release facility. The prison will then notify the local probation office of the release and schedule an appointment for the former prime minister to receive a clearance certificate or the official release document. This certificate must be presented to the probation office officials to request removal of the EM bracelet, marking the completion of the full release process.
Regarding Mr. Thaksin's case, when he was sentenced to one year in prison, he served time at Klong Prem Central Prison. Upon receiving supervised release, he was placed at Ban Chan Song La, a supervised release facility, and first reported to the Bangkok Probation Office 1, which oversees that area. Therefore, upon receiving the royal pardon this time, the release order from the court will be sent to Thonburi Special Prison, as it is the prison corresponding to the registered residence of the supervised release location. Currently, the former prime minister's name is under consideration by the committee at Thonburi Special Prison. Once the court's release order arrives there, the prison will arrange for him to collect the clearance certificate, which he will use to apply for removal of the EM bracelet at Bangkok Probation Office 1. This will complete the process, and the former prime minister will be fully released.