Former Prime Minister Thaksin at risk of 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, spokesman for the Thai Attorney General's Office Prayut Petchkhun told reporters that the seven-year delay in resolving the complaint related to accusations that Mr. Thaksin committed "lese majeste" was due to his living abroad, according to Reuters.

The spokesman did not say when the Attorney General's Office would make a decision on whether to prosecute. 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.

Cựu Thủ tướng Thaksin có nguy cơ bị truy tố tội xúc phạm hoàng gia Thái Lan- Ảnh 1. — 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 are among the strictest in the world, with each violation punishable by 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 conditions and has not actually spent a night in jail since his sentencing. Moreover, Mr Thaksin 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 attention. 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." Sitthi said Thaksin, 75, was eligible for pardon because of his age and chronic illness, according to the Bangkok Post .

Earlier, Senator Somchai Sawangkarn, chairman of the Human Rights, Civil Liberties and Consumer Protection Committee in the Thai Senate, said that Mr. Thaksin was eligible for a suspended sentence after serving six months. In addition, the former prime minister may not have to wear a monitoring 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 about 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 days that followed, the MFP came under sustained attack, with many petitioning for the party's dissolution as well as calls for dozens of its lawmakers to be banned from politics for life, over their stance on the lèse-majesté law.

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