First public appearance after release for former Thai prime minister Thaksin: AFP

BANGKOK: In his first public appearance after being released early from prison for bribery and abuse of power, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited a temple in Bangkok on Thursday, an AFP correspondent spotted.

Prior to traveling to his hometown of Chiang Mai in the northern part of the country later in the day, the controversial billionaire—who was overthrown in a military coup in 2006 after being twice elected premier—visited the Bangkok City Pillar Shrine.