Former Thai PM Thaksin approved for parole after eight months in jail

Thaksin Shinawatra, 76, has been approved for release on May 11 after serving two-thirds of his one-year sentence that began in September, according to the Thai Department of Corrections.

He will be subject to parole conditions including wearing an electronic monitoring device for four months before becoming a free man.

The parole opens a path for his possible return to politics as his family's party takes a reduced role in a new conservative-led government.