Former Thai PM Thaksin charged with royal insult
Al Jazeera
Jailed former leader the latest to face prosecution under Thailand’s strict laws protecting monarchy against criticism.
Thai police have charged former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra with insulting the monarchy over comments he made almost a decade ago.
Officials said on Tuesday that the complaint concerns a 2015 interview that Thaksin gave while in South Korea. The potential charge comes just weeks before his possible release on parole. Although it is not yet clear if the case will go ahead, the jailed billionaire is the latest political figure to face prosecution under the country’s strict lese majeste laws.
The complaint was filed by the military government that ran Thailand after overthrowing a government led by Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra in May 2014. Thaksin has repeatedly pledged loyalty to the monarchy.
Prayuth Pecharakun, spokesman for the attorney general’s office, told reporters that the long delay in acting on the complaint was due to Thaksin’s previous absence from the country.
The controversial billionaire, twice a prime minister but overthrown in a 2006 coup, returned from self-exile in August last year. He was immediately jailed on corruption and abuse-of-power charges.
