Supporters of disgraced former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gathered outside the jail where he is being held to sing songs to protest against his arrest.

Around 200 loyalists staged a lunch protest outside the notorious Klong Prem Central Prison - also known as the Bangkok Hilton - where the ex Man City owner and convicted swindler is caged.

Dressed in red shirts and wacky red headgear, they set up food stalls, handing out packs of fried rice, soup, curry, salads, and omelettes as they occupied sidewalks on October 4.

Former MP Worachai Hema invited people to join the 'lunch with Thaksin' event, urging citizens to 'fight for a new constitution'.

He said: 'Whether the opposition or the government, I ask you to join hands and stop quarrelling and dividing into factions. The country and the people must be the priority, because all MPs are elected by the people.

'Today, if we do not adopt a new constitution, the country will encounter the same trap and remain stuck in the same cycle.'

The group also sang songs together to show support to the detained former premier before the gathering concluded.

Judges had ruled that billionaire ex-Man City owner Thaksin must serve a one-year prison sentence for corruption, which he had previously dodged by claiming to be sick and serving only part of the sentence in a cushy police hospital.

A judge stated that sending him to the hospital was not legal because his illness was not an urgent matter, and time spent in the hospital could not be counted as a prison term. They said he must serve the full term in a real prison.

Thaksin had originally faced an eight-year sentence for three corruption cases before it was reduced to one year under a royal pardon. He then returned from exile in Dubai.

He was transferred out of Bangkok Remand Prison on the night of August 22, 2023, citing a sudden medical emergency, and was admitted to Police General Hospital.

He remained there until February 18, 2024, when he was released on special parole, never returning to prison. Critics raised questions over whether he had ever spent a single night behind bars.

Following the ruling, Thaksin released a statement, saying: 'I humbly accept and am ready to undergo the process according to today's court order.

‘From this day on, even though I will be without freedom, I still have freedom of thought for the benefit of the country and its people.

‘I will maintain my physical and mental strength to use the rest of my life to serve the monarchy, the Thai nation, and the Thai people, no matter what my status may be from now on.'