Voice TV, a television station owned by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s family, is set to cease operations next month and lay off about 200 employees including journalists, local media Thai PBS reported.

Mekin Petplai, chief executive of Voice TV, will make an announcement regarding the company shutting down at 4:30pm local time, Lakkhana Panwichai, a presenter at the channel, said in a post on X.

Voice TV’s programmes reach about 22 million households nationwide through digital terrestrial, satellite and cable TV, according to its website.

The influential Shinawatra clan’s business interests range from media to hotels and healthcare. Thaksin is considered the defacto leader of Pheu Thai party, helmed by his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, that leads the coalition government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

Thaksin, a two-time former prime minister, returned to Thailand last year after a 15-year exile. He was sentenced to eight years in jail on corruption charges on his return but the sentence was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn later and he is out on parole.

  - Bloomberg