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Simply two weeks earlier, his daughter Paetongtarn was suspended as prime minister by the nation’s Constitutional Courtroom.
Former Thai chief Thaksin Shinawatra has testified in court docket, in search of to defend himself in opposition to royal defamation fees that might land him 15 years in jail, simply weeks after his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended as prime minister.
Thaksin stands accused of breaching strict lese-majeste legal guidelines shielding Thailand’s royal household from abuse and criticism in a closed-door trial within the capital, Bangkok, that began earlier this month and continued on Wednesday.
The prosecution’s case revolves round remarks Thaksin made to South Korean media a decade in the past, with the defendant on account of give a minimum of three days of testimony. A verdict is just not anticipated for a number of weeks.
Current occasions for each father and daughter are a severe blow to the highly effective Shinawatra political dynasty. For the previous quarter-century, the 75-year-old telecoms magnate has been a defining determine of Thai politics, founding a motion which has competed with the normal pro-royal, pro-military elite.
His prosecution, mixed with Paetongtarn’s suspension two weeks in the past, represents a dramatic waning of their household’s political fortune, analysts say.
Thaksin’s lawyer Winyat Chatmontri advised the AFP information company his consumer testified on Wednesday morning “and can proceed all through the remainder of the day”.
About 50 Thaksin supporters gathered on the court docket, carrying pink shirts, the color of his political motion, emblazoned with a portrait of his face.
“He’s a really proficient man,” 79-year-old retired accountant Vaew Wilailak advised AFP. “However from previous expertise, dangerous individuals simply need to do away with him.”
Thaksin returned to Thailand in August 2023 after 15 years in exile, following a army coup which eliminated him from the prime minister’s workplace that he gained in two elections.
He returned the day his household’s Pheu Thai social gathering took workplace, on the head of a coalition authorities backed by their conservative former enemies, prompting suspicions a backroom deal had been struck.
Thaksin was instantly sentenced to eight years in jail on corruption and abuse of energy fees – later decreased to at least one yr by a pardon from King Maha Vajiralongkorn in one other obvious signal of reconciliation.
In latest interviews, Thaksin affirmed his loyalty to the monarchy and expressed gratitude for the king’s pardon.
Talking to AFP outdoors the court docket on the trial’s opening day on July 1, Winyat mentioned his consumer appeared “chill” regardless of the seriousness of the case.
On the identical day, Paetongtarn was suspended by the Constitutional Courtroom, pending an ethics probe into her conduct throughout a leaked diplomatic cellphone name discussing a lethal border conflict between Thai and Cambodian troops on Could 28, which resulted within the loss of life of a Cambodian soldier and reignited longstanding tensions within the area.
The scandal “grew to become a full-blown disaster” after the leaked name urged that Paetongtarn had “compromised her place by kowtowing” to former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, professor of political science and worldwide relations at Chulalongkorn College, advised the Turkish information company Anadolu.
Within the name, Paetongtarn referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and described a Thai army commander as an “opponent”.
Pheu Thai’s coalition has been deserted by key conservative backers over the decision, leaving it with a razor-thin parliamentary majority steered by a caretaker prime minister.
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