Thai Ex-Premier Thaksin Indicted for Royal Defamation
![Thai Ex-Premier Thaksin Indicted for Royal Defamation](/content/images/size/w1200/2024/05/abe87f65-fb89-4376-bb01-4ec8fb67841b.png)
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been indicted for royal defamation by the Office of the Attorney General. The indictment follows a postponement request from Thaksin after he contracted Covid-19. The attorney general’s office has confirmed that Thaksin will not be immediately arrested due to health concerns, but will also be indicted for violating the Computer Crime Act.
Thaksin returned to Thailand in August last year after a self-imposed exile since 2008 to serve an eight-year sentence for corruption-related offenses. He was released on parole in February after six months in prison. A new appointment for his indictment is scheduled for June 18. The charges of royal defamation stem from remarks he made to journalists in Seoul, South Korea, in 2016, which could carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.