Thailand to indict influential former PM Thaksin over royal insult

BANGKOK - Thailand’s Attorney-General will indict former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for allegedly insulting the monarchy, said an official on May 29, in a setback to a political heavyweight whose loyalists are currently in government.

The complaint, lodged by the royalist military that ousted the government of his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, stemmed from an interview the influential tycoon gave to foreign media in 2015.

Other charges against Mr Thaksin include violating a computer crime law.

“The Attorney-General has decided to indict Thaksin on all charges,” spokesperson Prayuth Bejraguna said, adding that the former premier would need to appear before court on June 18.

Mr Thaksin, 74, denies wrongdoing and has repeatedly pledged his loyalty to the crown, criticism of which is forbidden under Thailand’s lese majeste law, which is one of the world’s strictest of its kind.

His would be the highest-profile case among more than 270 prosecutions in recent years under the controversial law, which carries a maximum jail term of 15 years for each perceived insult to the royal family.

His lawyer Winyat Chartmontri said a comprehensive defence had been prepared, and his client would seek bail. He also questioned the authenticity of the video of the interview in which the alleged insult was made.

Mr Thaksin did not appear at the hearing on May 29 because he was infected with Covid-19, Mr Winyat said.

“We have to proceed based on our rights in a criminal case,” he told a press conference. “Thaksin Shinawatra is ready to prove his innocence in the justice system.”

Central figure

Mr Thaksin, the founder of the populist juggernaut Pheu Thai Party, has seen his family’s parties win all but one election since 2001, with three Shinawatra governments toppled by coups or court rulings.

The billionaire made a dramatic return to Thailand in 2023 after 15 years of self-imposed exile, during which he remained a central figure throughout repeated bouts of political upheaval.

He was convicted of abuse of power and conflicts of interest, and sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released on parole in February after just six months in detention.

His return and relatively short time in detention, spent entirely in hospital, has fuelled speculation that he had struck a deal with his bitter rivals in the conservative establishment and military, which he has long blamed for trying to stifle pro-Thaksin governments. His allies have denied any such deal.

Pheu Thai leads the current government, with Mr Thaksin’s business ally Srettha Thavisin the prime minister and daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra the party chief.

The announcement of Mr Thaksin’s indictment comes days after an opposition lawmaker and an activist musician

were given jail terms for insulting the crown

. The palace typically does not comment on the law.

The popular opposition Move Forward Party, the biggest in Parliament, has found itself in hot water over its campaign to amend the law, with the Constitutional Court due to decide whether

to dissolve the party

, which would see bans for its leadership.

A separate complaint with another body is seeking life bans for 44 current and former Move Forward legislators over the amendment plan, which it has since been forced to abandon.

Mr Thaksin has been active since his release, meeting supporters and politicians, while saying he has retired from politics. Commentators have anticipated he will wield significant political influence from behind the scenes, raising the possibility of another confrontation with the establishment.

Political analyst Titipol Phakdeewanich said the indictment could be an attempt by the authorities to show balance, in the light of royal insults cases against activists and Move Forward, but that recent developments indicated Mr Thaksin “will still be able to weather this”.

Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak, of Chulalongkorn University, said the indictment could be a warning to Mr Thaksin to stay in line.

“Now his adversaries see this as ‘Thaksin’s back’, he’s fully back in Thai politics, and maybe he crossed the line,” he said. “If he doesn’t shut up and doesn’t stop manoeuvring and politicking, if they continue to see him as an enlarging, intensifying threat, then the charges will make their way through the court system.” REUTERS