Ex-PM Thaksin must serve one yr in jail

BANGKOK, Sept 09 (Reuters): Thailand's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve one year in jail because his detention in a VIP wing of a hospital in lieu of prison was unlawful, in another major blow for a powerful family that has dominated politics for two decades.

The judges said Thaksin did not have severe illness and his hospitalisation could not be counted as time served, adding the responsibility did not solely lie with the doctors and that the polarising billionaire intentionally prolonged his hospital stay.

Thaksin was seen at the court removing his jacket and getting into a corrections department van. In a statement on Facebook, the tycoon said he accepted the verdict and would stay strong.

"Today, I may no longer have freedom, but have freedom of thought to create benefits for the country and people," Thaksin said.

The 76-year-old power-broker is experiencing a period of political reckoning after his daughter and protégé Paetongtarn Shinawatra was sacked as prime minister by a court on Aug 29 - the sixth premier from or backed by the Shinawatra family to be removed by the judiciary or military.