Thai court clears ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra in royal insult case

BANGKOK – A court in Thailand on Aug 22 dismissed a royal insult case against influential former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, clearing the first hurdle in a series of high-stakes court rulings involving the powerful Shinawatra political dynasty.

The court said the case, brought by the royalist military and stemming from a 2015 Thaksin interview with foreign media, lacked sufficient evidence to prove that he had insulted the powerful monarchy – an offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

“Evidence from the plaintiff showed (that) the interview by the defendant did not defame, insult or threaten the King, therefore the defendant is not guilty,” the criminal court in Bangkok said.

Wearing a yellow necktie, the colour associated with the palace, a smiling Thaksin announced the decision to reporters as he left the courthouse, where about 150 of his red-shirted supporters had gathered outside.

The divisive 76-year-old tycoon remains a major force in Thai politics, despite being retired and having previously spent 15 years in self-imposed exile before

his return to the country

in 2023.

The billionaire has repeatedly pledged allegiance to the King, who is enshrined in the Thai Constitution as being in a position of “revered worship”, with the palace seen by royalists as sacrosanct. 

Thaksin’s case was the highest-profile among more than 280 prosecutions in recent years under the controversial law, which activists say has been abused by conservatives to silence dissent and sideline political rivals.

Royalists say the law is necessary to protect the crown.

Challenges ahead

Although he has no official role in government, Thaksin remains politically active and is widely seen as the power behind the ruling Pheu Thai-led coalition, which is losing popularity and hanging on by a thread.

The ruling came a week ahead of another key verdict involving his daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who faces dismissal by the Constitutional Court for an alleged ethics violation over

a leaked telephone conversation

with Cambodia’s former leader about a border row that later spiralled into five days of armed conflict.

Thaksin also faces another key legal test in September, when the Supreme Court will decide whether his six-month stint in hospital detention prior to his release on parole in 2024 counts as time served in a jail term for abuse of power and conflicts of interest.

He could potentially be made to serve the time in prison.

Thaksin had been sentenced to eight years in prison, reduced to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, but did not spend a single night in jail and was

transferred to the VIP wing of a police hospital

on medical grounds.

A former policeman who built a business empire worth billions, Thaksin was a mould-breaking premier who won the hearts and votes of millions of working-class Thais with populist giveaways such as cash handouts, village loans and universal healthcare.

That made his political parties unstoppable, but his influence and brash character riled Thailand’s old guard of conservatives and royalist generals in a long-running battle that has seen the fall of multiple Shinawatra-backed governments via coups or court rulings.

Supporters outside the court expressed relief at the Aug 22 decision, saying Thaksin was committed to helping the people.

“I’m glad,” 62-year-old Khemanut Thauntong said. “He is a good and honest person who is loyal to the nation.” REUTERS