Former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra returned from 15 years in exile on Tuesday and was immediately jailed, but his time behind bars could be cut short with his party on the cusp of winning back power.
The divisive billionaire landed in a private jet at Bangkok's Don Mueang airport at 9 am (0200 GMT), to be greeted by hundreds of noisy "Red Shirt" supporters waving banners and singing songs.
Thaksin, 74, emerged briefly from the terminal building to bow and offer a floral garland at a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn as a mark of respect before waving to supporters.
More Red Shirts lined the streets as the former Manchester City owner was taken to the Supreme Court.
Three convictions
There, he was ordered to serve eight years for three convictions passed in his absence - one linked to his former Shin Corp company, another linked to a bank loan, and a lottery case.
But it was unclear how long Thaksin would stay in jail.
He returned hours before parliament began voting on whether to approve business tycoon Srettha Thavisin as prime minister at the head of a coalition led by the Pheu Thai party - the latest incarnation of Thaksin's political movement .
The timing of Thaksin's return, with his party on the verge of assuming power, has led many to speculate that a backroom deal has been done to allow him leniency.
Loved and loathed
Thaksin has said he was willing to face justice in order to return home and see his grandchildren - though he has long maintained the criminal charges against him are politically motivated.
"I would like to request permission to return to live on Thai soil and share the air with my fellow Thai brothers and sisters," he posted Monday on Twitter, which has been rebranded as X.
For all his long absence from the country, Thaksin remains Thailand's most influential - and controversial - politician of modern times.
His career has included two election victories, defeat in a coup, criminal charges and the long years of self-imposed exile.
Thai social order
Loved by the rural poor for policies including cheap healthcare and the minimum wage, he is reviled by the pro-military and royalist elite who saw his rule as corrupt, authoritarian and a threat to Thai social order.
Parties linked to Thaksin have dominated elections since 2001 - until this year, when the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats.
Hundreds of Red Shirts waited through the night at the airport to welcome him with songs and banners -- most decked out in their usual crimson colours.
The Department of Corrections said Thaksin had been isolated in prison because of health problems, including heart and lung complaints, but his family would be able to visit him after five days.
After Thaksin was put behind bars, at around 3:20 pm, parliament began voting on whether to confirm Srettha as prime minister -- and end three months of political deadlock.
