Jailed former Thai PM Thaksin released on parole

BANGKOK, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole on Sunday, six months after his return to the country from self-exile.

Xinhua reporters observed that a car carrying Thaksin leaving a police hospital in Bangkok at 6:06 a.m. local time on Sunday, where he received medical treatment and served six months of his one-year prison sentence.

According to the country's Justice Ministry, the 74-year-old former prime minister is among the 930 inmates approved for parole this month. He is eligible for parole as he is over 70 years old and suffers from a serious illness.