- Thaksin faces monarchy insult charge
- Possible parole complicates case
- Lèse-majesté law silences dissent
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been charged by Thai authorities with insulting the monarchy, referencing remarks he made nearly a decade ago.
Officials stated on Tuesday that the complaint pertains to an interview Thaksin conducted in South Korea in 2015. The potential indictment comes just weeks before his possible parole release. While the probable course of action remains uncertain, the incarcerated oligarch becomes the latest political figure to be prosecuted under the nation’s strict lèse-majesté legislation.
The military administration that ruled Thailand following the May 2014 coup d’état of a government led by Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s sister, filed the complaint. Thaksin has vowed allegiance to the monarchy on numerous occasions.
The protracted delay in addressing the complaint, according to a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, Prayuth Pecharakun, was due to Thaksin’s previous absence from the country.
Backroom Agreement
The disgraced oligarch, who was deposed in a 2006 coup after serving as prime minister twice, resumed his political exile in August of the previous year. He was promptly incarcerated on charges of corruption and abuse of authority.
Almost immediately after being transported to a police hospital, the 74-year-old underwent at least two operations.
Prayuth stated that prosecutors would await the conclusion of the police investigation before determining whether to proceed with the case.
He added that Thaksin has written to the attorney general requesting equitable treatment and denies the charge.
Insulting the monarch’s throne is a grave offence in Thailand. The constitution mandates that the monarch be regarded with “reverent veneration.”
Lèse-Majesté Law Silences Dissent
Lese-majesté, one of the worst laws in the world, can result in 15 years in prison for royal allegations. Critics assert that the law has been used to stifle dissent.
Since pro-democracy street protests led by young people in Thailand in 2020, charges under the laws, referred to as “112” in Thailand after the relevant section of the criminal code, have increased significantly. It has been used to prosecute at least 260 individuals in recent years.
A difficult arrangement between pro-military groups brought Thaksin back to Thailand and revived his Pheu Thai Party.
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The timeline fuelled speculation regarding a secret agreement aimed at assisting Thaksin in his legal challenges. This speculation was exacerbated when the monarch reduced his incarceration term from eight years to one year.
Thaksin, whose populist policies in the early 2000s endeared him to millions of rural Thais, is despised by Thailand’s royalist and pro-military establishment, which has spent the better part of the last two decades attempting to eradicate him and his allies from power.
