Thailand yet to decide on indicting ex-PM Thaksin in royal insult case, lawyer says

BANGKOK – Thailand’s attorney-general will postpone a hearing with influential former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on whether to indict him over a royal insult complaint, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

“The attorney-general is still investigating the case,” Winyat Chartmontri told Reuters, adding that prosecutors would advise of the next hearing date later in the day.

The attorney general’s office was not immediately available for comment. It was scheduled to hold a briefing at 0200 GMT.

The complaint, lodged by the royalist military that ousted the government of Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, had stemmed from an interview the tycoon gave to foreign media in 2015.

Thaksin, 74, has repeatedly pledged his loyalty to the crown, criticism of which is forbidden under Thailand’s lese-majeste law, which is one of the world’s strictest of its kind.

The billionaire, who was convicted of abuse of power and conflicts of interest, was released on parole in February after six months in detention. He made a dramatic return to Thailand in 2023 from 15 years of self-imposed exile, during which he remained a central figure throughout repeated bouts of political upheaval.

The founder of the populist Pheu Thai party has seen his family’s parties win all but one election since 2001, with three Shinawatra governments toppled by coups or court rulings.

Thaksin’s return and relatively short time in detention fueled speculation he had struck a deal with his bitter rivals in the conservative establishment and military which he has long blamed for trying to stifle pro-Thaksin governments. His allies have denied any such deal.

Pheu Thai leads the current government, with Thaksin’s business ally Srettha Thavisin prime minister and daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra the party chief.

Commentators are anticipating he will seek to wield significant political influence from behind the scenes, raising the possibility of another confrontation with his powerful rivals in the establishment. —Reuters