Ex-Thai PM Thaksin to face trial for royal insult

BANGKOK: Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be prosecuted for insulting the monarchy, the attorney general´s office said on Wednesday, over comments he made almost a decade ago.

Prayuth Pecharakun, spokesman for the attorney general, said Thaksin would be summoned to court on June 18 to answer charges under the kingdom´s strict lese-majeste laws.

Thaksin, 74, is a two-time premier who was ousted in a 2006 coup and then lived in self exile for 15 years.

He returned to Thailand last year as his Pheu Thai party took power at the head of a coalition government.

“The attorney general has decided to indict Thaksin for insulting the monarchy,” Prayuth told reporters.

“The attorney general cannot bring him to court today, as his (Thaksin´s) lawyer said he has Covid.” Thaksin also faces prosecution under the Computer Crimes Act, the spokesman said.

Thailand has some of the world´s strictest royal defamation laws protecting King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family, with each charge bringing a potential 15-year prison sentence.

Thaksin´s lawyer, Winyat Chatmontree, said he would fight the charges.

“He is ready to prove his innocence in the justice system,” Winyat told reporters.

Critics say the lese-majeste laws are abused to stifle legitimate political debate, and there has been a spike in their use since youth-led anti-government street protests in 2020 and 2021. More than 270 people have been charged with lese-majeste since the protests, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.