The court highlights Thaksin Shinwatra in the case of royal insult

A court in Bangkok has acquitted the controversial billionaire and former Thai Prime Minister Thaxin Shinwatra, who was accused of insulting ownership.

The charge related to an interview with the South Korea newspaper ten years ago. He would have faced prison for up to 15 years if convicted.

The Thai Her Majesty law in Thailand prohibits insulting ownership of ownership. But critics say it is often used to target activists and political opponents.

The ruling came at a time when the daughter of Thaxin, who was suspended by Prime Minister Paetongtarn, was facing a decision of the Constitutional Court about whether it should be removed from his position or not. These cases pose a threat to the Shinawatra clan, which was a dominant force in Thai policy for decades.

On Friday, the ruling of the family brought to the family and their supporters.

Winniyat Charmmanri, a lawyer who behaves with Thaxin, told reporters that after reading the ruling in the court, his client smiled and thanked his lawyer. He also said he is now able to work for the country’s entitlement.

The accusation was originally filed against Thaxin, at the time of the military government at the time, in 2016, when he was in exile, and was reactivated last year after returning to Thailand.

At first glance, the case appeared against him weak.

In an interview with the South Korean newspaper, the former Prime Minister said he believed that the 2014 military coup that took off the elected government to his sister – just as he was removed by a former coup in 2006 – was incited by “some people in the palace” and members of the Special Council, a body that advises the Thai king.

Technically, the Council of the lese majeste council, which states that it is violating to distort the king or the queen, the heir of the throne, or any person who behaves as a registration.

However, in recent years, the law has been called to criminalize any procedure or statement that may reflect negatively on the ownership as an institution.

In the past, people were Trial Unjustified comments about the late King Bombol’s dog and about the sixteenth century King of Thailand.

Recently, a young woman has been sentenced to five years in prison for putting a banner criticizing the budget to help those affected by Covid near a picture of King Vajiralongkorn.

The interpretation of the law has become so wide that human rights groups consider them a political tool, which can be used to intimidate and silence those who unite the current situation.

Many believe that this was what was happening to axin.

However, the judges chose to literally explain the formulation of law, and they said that since the defendant did not call names, he must be acquitted.

This ruling comes exactly two years after the former dramatic prime minister returned from 15 years of exile.

At that time, there was a major deal that struck between Thaxin and his conservative opponents for a long time, so that his Fio Tae party, which was transferred in the elections in 2023 to second place from the usual first place, could have been from the coalition government and maintain the young reformists who have already won the election of power.

The conditions of this deal have never been published – Thaxin has always insisted that there is no deal – but they may include an agreement that it will retain a low appearance and stay outside politics.

But low attention is something completely strange to the hint, the wealthy and the ambition.

He is still believed to be the largest financier of Pheu Thai and make all the main decisions of the party.

When his first choice was excluded to the Prime Minister, businessman Sri Lawfisin, by the Constitutional Constitutional Court constantly a year ago, the daughter of the Daksin Dafenettarn Shinawatra Hilm took over, and became the youngest prime minister in Thailand ever.

She said that she will advise him happily. When he took office, Mr. Thaxin announced his “vision of Thailand”, including a controversial proposal to legitimize casinos; Many of that later became the official policy.

The parliamentary opposition accused the Shinwatra family of “Double Command”. Thaxin’s commercial relations with the powerful man, Hun Hun Sen, have raised concerns about the profit of his government in Thailand about the border conflict between the two countries.

This came to his head in a phone conversation leaked by Hun Sen, where Paetongtarn was heard in reference to him as “uncle”, and his army commander criticized her at the border, which was now suspended by the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether it was rejected within one week.

Another prime minister may be judged after only one year, at a time of great global uncertainty, as risky. It is not clear who will replace Paetongtarn.

Thaxin is facing another case in the court next month, on his transfer to a hospital for the previous prison sentence. The price of allowing him to stay outside the prison may be that his party must summon early elections, at a time when its weak performance in the government can lose many of its seats in Parliament.