Bangkok– Thai prosecutors said Wednesday that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be charged with defaming the monarchy, three months after he was released on parole on other charges.
Thaksin will not yet be charged because he had submitted a request to postpone his original appointment on Wednesday with evidence that he has COVID-19, Prayuth Bejraguna, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, said at a news conference.
The attorney general’s office has scheduled a new arraignment date for Thaksin on June 18, Prayuth said, adding that Thaksin will also be charged with violating the Computer Crimes Act.
Thaksin had been in self-imposed exile since 2008, but returned to Thailand in August last year to begin serving an eight-year sentence. He was paroled in February from Bangkok hospital, where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offences.
Upon his return, he was almost immediately transferred from prison to hospital for reasons of ill health, and about a week later, King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced his sentence to a single year. Thaksin was granted parole due to his age (he is 74) and his poor health, leaving him free for the remainder of his one-year sentence.
His return was interpreted as part of a political agreement between his Pheu Thai party and the conservative establishment (long-standing rivals) to prevent the progressive Move Forward Party from forming a government following its victory in last year’s general election.
Upon his return, the attorney general’s office said it had reactivated an investigation into whether Thaksin violated the monarch’s defamation law nearly nine years ago, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Thaksin was originally charged in 2016 with breaking the law for comments he made to journalists while in Seoul, South Korea, a year earlier, but the investigation could only continue after he was charged in person at the hospital in January. . officials said. Thaksin denied the charges and submitted a statement defending himself.
Prosecutor’s spokesman Prayuth said there is enough evidence for the attorney general to charge Thaksin. He said prosecutors have already prepared his statement and documents to present in court next month.
Since his release, Thaksin has maintained a high profile and is believed to wield influence in the government led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. One analyst believes Thaksin’s growing influence has angered ultra-conservatives and that impeachment is their response.
“It is designed to keep Thaksin under control. This keeps him in line. If you misbehave, then this charge can be activated and could land you in jail. This is to restrict his movements and his maneuvering and to remind him, by sending him a signal in some way, to know who is in charge and that he should not overstep the boundaries,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
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