Former Prime Minister Thaksin faces prosecution for insulting Thai royalty

The complaint relates to an interview Mr Thaksin gave in 2015 in South Korea, and was released by Thailand’s military junta after it ousted a government led by Mr Thaksin’s sister. Mr Thaksin has repeatedly declared his allegiance to Thailand’s powerful monarchy.

On February 6, the spokesman for the Thai Attorney General's Office, Prayut Petchkhun, told reporters that the seven-year delay in resolving the complaint related to the accusation that Mr. Thaksin committed the crime of "lese majeste" was because he lived abroad, according to Reuters.

The spokesman did not say when the Attorney General's Office would make a decision on prosecution. But he said Mr Thaksin had denied wrongdoing and presented authorities with a "letter asking for fairness". The spokesman also did not provide details of the charges against Mr Thaksin.

Mr. Thaksin's lawyer did not immediately comment.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned home on August 22, 2023

Insulting the monarchy is a serious crime in Thailand, a constitutional monarchy where the king is highly revered. The country's "lese-majeste" laws (i.e., Section 112 of the Thai Penal Code) are among the strictest in the world , with each alleged violation carrying a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

Thaksin, Thailand’s influential prime minister from 2001 to 2006, returned home in August 2023 after 15 years in exile. Shortly after his return, he was sentenced to a total of eight years in prison for abuse of power, which was later reduced to one year by the Thai king.

The former prime minister, also a billionaire, is being held in a hospital under undisclosed medical conditions and has not actually spent a night in jail since his sentencing. He is eligible for parole later this month.

In January, the Department of Corrections granted Thaksin an extension of his hospital stay as he needed further medical monitoring. At a press conference on January 17, Deputy Director General Sitthi Sutivong said that "based on the criteria, Thaksin is eligible for a special pardon." Mr. Sitthi said that Thaksin, 75, is eligible for pardon because of his age and chronic illness, according to the Bangkok Post .

Earlier, Senator Somchai Sawangkarn, chairman of the Thai Senate's Human Rights, Civil Liberties and Consumer Protection Committee, said that Mr. Thaksin would be eligible for a suspended sentence after serving six months of his sentence. In addition, the former prime minister may not have to wear a tracking device.

Thailand's current government is backed by the Shinawatra family, which has dominated Thai politics since Mr Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup. Mr Thaksin's allies have dismissed speculation of a secret political deal between the former prime minister and his political opponents.

News of a new case against Mr Thaksin comes a week after the MFP, the largest party in Thailand's parliament, was forced by a court to abandon plans to amend controversial lese majeste laws.

In the following days, the MFP came under sustained attack, with many petitioning to dissolve the party as well as calling for dozens of its lawmakers to be banned from politics for life, because of their stance on the lese majeste law.

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