Former Thai PM Thaksin to be charged with royal defamation

• Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be indicted on charges of defaming the monarchy after being released on parole three months ago.
• The crime of defaming the Thai monarchy carries a prison sentence of three to 15 years.
• Thaksin has maintained a high profile and is believed to have influence in the government led by Prime Minister Shrestha Thawisin.

Thai prosecutors said on Wednesday that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would be charged with defaming the monarchy, three months after he was released on parole on other charges.

Attorney General’s Office spokesman Prayuth Bejraguna told a news conference that Thaksin would not be indicted yet as he had filed a request on Wednesday to postpone his original appointment, citing evidence that he had contracted Covid-19.

Prayut said the Attorney General’s Office has set a new date for prosecuting Thaksin for June 18. He said Thaksin would also be charged with violating the Computer Crime Act.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to be released after getting parole

Law Defaming the monarchy, known as lèse majesté, is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. It is controversial not only because critics see it as harsh, but also because they allege it is used for political purposes to punish critics of the government.

Thaksin was ousted from power in a military coup in 2006. His opponents accused him of disrespecting King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016. Thaksin’s ouster triggered years of conflict between his supporters and his opponents, who were generally staunch monarchists. The political polarisation led to unprecedented public debate about the role of the monarchy, which intensified in 2020 as student-led protests took to the streets for greater democracy.

Thaksin had been in self-exile since 2008 but returned. to Thailand He was jailed in August last year to serve an eight-year sentence on charges related to corruption and abuse of power. He was released on parole in February from a Bangkok hospital where he had served six months of his sentence for corruption-related offences.

Upon his return he was almost immediately taken from prison to hospital on grounds of ill health, and about a week later King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced his sentence to one year. Thaksin was granted parole due to his age – he is 74 – and ill health, allowing him to remain free for the remainder of his one-year sentence.

Former Thailand PM Thaksin Shinawatra released on parole for corruption-related offences

Thaksin’s return is seen as a political bargain between the Pheu Thai Party (the latest in a series of parties he has backed) and his long-term rivals in the conservative establishment, aimed at preventing the progressive Move Forward Party from forming a government after its victory in last year’s general election.

But shortly after his return the attorney general’s office said it had reopened an investigation into whether Thaksin violated a law against defamation of the monarch nearly nine years ago.

Thaksin was originally accused of violating the law in 2016 over comments he made to reporters while he was in Seoul. South KoreaThaksin was charged a year ago, but the investigation proceeded only after he appeared in person at the hospital in January. Thaksin denied the allegations and submitted a statement defending himself, officials said.

Prosecutors’ spokesman Prayuth said the attorney general had enough evidence to indict Thaksin. He said prosecutors had already prepared their statement and documents to present in court next month.

Thaksin’s lawyer Winyat Chatmontri said he was confident he had a strong defence for his client.

“We have been working on this for several months, ever since we submitted our defense statement,” he told The Associated Press. “But whether we win the case or not depends on the discretion of the court based on the evidence.”

Winyat also said that video of Thaksin’s remarks used as evidence by investigators may have been tampered with.

Thaksin has maintained his image since his release and is believed to have influence in the government led by Prime Minister Sritha Thavisin. He has travelled around the country and made public appearances and is reportedly involved in efforts to mediate peace talks with neighbouring war-torn Burma.

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One analyst believes that the ultra-conservatives have become angry at Thaksin’s growing influence and that the impeachment is their response.

“This is designed to keep Thaksin in check. It keeps him in check. If he doesn’t behave well the charge can be activated and put him in prison. It’s to restrict his activities and antics and to remind him, in a way to send him a signal, who’s in charge and let him know he shouldn’t cross the line,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

The lese majeste law came back into focus earlier this month when 28-year-old activist Nettiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom died in a prison hospital following a hunger strike. He was jailed on charges of lese majeste.

The death has renewed calls for a review of the judicial process, under which political offenders accused of non-violent crimes are denied bail and kept in prison for long periods before trial. Nettiporn was charged with conducting a survey to gauge public opinion in public places in 2022.