Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra indicted on royal insult charges

Bangkok: Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been indicted on lese majeste charges, marking the most recent development in the long-running political drama in the Southeast Asian nation, authorities in Thailand announced on Wednesday, according to CNN. Police launched a complaint alleging that in a 2015 interview with the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, Thaksin broke Thailand’s infamously severe royal insult statute.

According to spokesperson Prayuth Bejraguna, “The attorney general has decided to indict Thaksin on all charges,” she informed reporters on Wednesday.

On June 18, Thaksin must appear before the Office of the Attorney General; he will then be brought before the court. A Covid-19 infection prevented him from attending the hearing on Wednesday, according to the spokesperson.

Lese-majeste or lese-majesty is, notably an offence or defamation against the dignity of a ruling head of state or of the state itself.

Thaksin, who served as prime minister from 2001 until he was ousted in a military coup in 2006, made a dramatic return to Thailand last August after 15 years in self-imposed exile and was taken into custody.

Some experts believe Thaksin may have struck a deal with the country’s powerful conservative and royalist establishment for his return - given his court convictions and the charges against him. Thaksin has denied the claim, according to CNN.

Due to conflicts of interest, misuse of authority, and corruption while in office, he was initially given an eight-year prison term; however, this was eventually lowered to a year. The 74-year-old spent just six months in a police hospital before being granted parole and being freed from custody in February.

Thailand possesses some of the most stringent royal defamation laws globally, where a maximum 15-year prison sentence can be imposed for any instance of criticising the king, queen, or heir apparent. In recent years, hundreds of people have been prosecuted under Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste statute, which carries sentences that can last decades.

The shocking death of a young Thai activist who was being held in pre-trial custody on grounds of lese majeste earlier this month prompted cries for justice reform once again.

Previous Manchester City Football Club owner Thaksin is the leader of a well-known political family that has ruled Thai politics for the last 20 years and includes two previous prime ministers, as per CNN. Even now, Pheu Thai, the newest party of the influential Shinawatra dynasty, is in power thanks to a coalition it formed with its erstwhile adversaries in the armed forces after the May 2023 election. Paetongtarn, Thaksin’s daughter, is the party’s leader. (ANI)

Also Read: Thailand’s ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra freed after six months in detention

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