After a brief stop at City Pillar, Thaksin heads to Chiang Mai

The convicted former premier, who was released on parole last month, showed up in his black Mercedes at the shrine, which is located next to the Ministry of Defence’s premises, at 5.19am.

Thaksin was wearing a cervical collar, but the cast on his right arm that appeared in an earlier photo has been removed. He was able to walk by himself to the shrine.

After paying respect to the City Pillar and Buddha statues, Thaksin greeted members of the press without giving any interviews, then was driven to Don Mueang International Airport, where his private jet awaits to take him to Chiang Mai, his hometown in the north of Thailand.

Paetongtarn had said last week that Thaksin’s reason for visiting his home province was to pay homage to his ancestors.

Police officers from Chana Songkhram station were dispatched to the area around the city shrine on Thursday morning to ensure public safety and facilitate traffic flow.

On Wednesday, Thaksin appeared in front of the public for the first time since his parole when he visited Wat Ratchabophit Sathitmahasimaram in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district. He was not wearing a cervical collar on this occasions.

The former premier flew back to Thailand on a private jet on August 22 last year. Less than 24 hours later, he was transferred from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital for treatment of unidentified health issues. He stayed at the hospital until his release on parole on February 18.

During his exile, Thaksin was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for corruption stemming from his 2001-2006 tenure as prime minister, which was cut short by a military coup. However, he received a royal pardon soon after his return to Thailand last year, which reduced the sentence to one year in jail.