Former PM Thaksin formally indicted in royal defamation case

The Criminal Court has accepted the indictment from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a royal defamation charge related to an interview with foreign media in 2015.

The court has later granted bail to him after his lawyer posted a bail bond of 500,000 baht.

The Attorney General has ordered an indictment for violations under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, related to Thaksin’s interview given to South Korean media on May 11, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. The content of the interview allegedly contained critical and offensive remarks about the monarchy.

This case involves offenses committed outside the kingdom and violations of the Computer Crimes Act.

Thaksin has denied the charge.

Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023 from 15 years of self-imposed exile to avoid jail terms related to abuse of power and conflict of interest. He was released on parole in February after serving a half of his commuted one-year sentence in hospital. (TNA)