Thaksin indicted on charge of royal defamation as more court cases stir Thailand’s political woes

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been formally indicted on a charge of defaming Thailand’s monarchy in one of several court cases that have unsteadied Thai politics. His lawyer told reporters Tuesday that Thaksin was ready to enter the judicial process and that he has prepared a request for his release on bail. Thaksin was originally charged in 2016 but the case was not pursued then because he was in exile to avoid punishment on other legal judgments he decried as political. He served minimal punishment after returning to Thailand last year as the Pheu Thai party, seen as his political machine, joined hands with its longstanding conservative rivals to form a government.