This case is related to an interview the billionaire politician gave to Korean media while in exile in 2015.
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who returned to Korea last year after 15 years in exile, will be put on trial next month on charges of insulting the king.
A spokesman for Thai Attorney General Prayuth Pecharakun said Thaksin, 74, would be brought to court on June 18 to answer charges under Thailand’s lese majeste law, one of the strictest laws in the world. He is also charged with violating the Computer Crimes Act.
Thaksin, a prominent telecoms tycoon, was first elected prime minister in 2001 but was ousted in a military coup five years later amid mass protests among the urban middle class and unrest over his policies among pro-royalist, pro-military elites. His populist political movement continued to win elections after Thaksin went into exile, but was toppled by coups or court rulings amid constant political upheaval.
The most recent claims were made by the generals who seized power from Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014 and relate to interviews he gave to South Korean media the following year.
“The attorney general has decided to prosecute Thaksin for insulting the monarchy,” Prayuth told reporters.
Thaksin came to power last August as part of a coalition formed by his daughter’s Phu Thai party after senators blocked the formation of his Move Forward Party, which had campaigned for reforms to the military and monarchy. After that, I returned to Thailand. government.
Protesters, activists, politicians and political parties have all violated Thailand’s royal defamation laws. The law protects King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family and has become more widely used since 2020, when young people launched unprecedented protests calling for reforms to the monarchy. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Thaksin’s lawyer, Winyat Chatmontri, said the billionaire would fight the charges.
“He is ready to prove his innocence in the justice system,” Winyat told reporters.
Critics say the law has been abused to stifle legitimate political debate.
More than 270 people have been charged with lese majeste since the protests began, according to the Thai Lawyers’ Association for Human Rights.
On the very day that Thaksin returned to Thailand, Pheu Thai’s Sretha Thavisin became prime minister in a coalition with pro-military parties, leading many to conclude that a deal had been made to shorten his sentence on corruption-related charges.
The king later reduced Thaksin’s sentence from eight years to one year, and he was released on parole in February after spending most of six months in hospital detention.
Thaksin claims he is retired, but has made numerous public appearances since his release. He repeatedly swore allegiance to the crown.
The Forward Party is also facing a lawsuit to the Constitutional Court to decide whether to disband the party over its pledge to revise the contempt law.
