Thailand’s politics are tense again. Prosecutors say former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be charged with royal defamation. The step could trigger another round of turmoil.
Thaksin was in office from 2001 until the 2006 coup. His populist policies won him big support in rural areas. But critics in the military and royalist elite long accused him of undermining the monarchy.
The case now ties back to a 2015 interview. Officials say remarks he made then violated Thailand’s lese-majeste law. That law is among the strictest in the world. Up to 15 years in prison for each count.
His daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is prime minister today. She won power with the Pheu Thai Party. A trial against her father threatens her position and risks reopening old rifts between pro-democracy voters and royalist backers of the military.
Thailand has used royal defamation charges more often in recent years. Activists, critics, opposition politicians. Thaksin had only just returned from exile, granted parole earlier this year. The new case shows elites are still uneasy with his influence.
If he is convicted, Paetongtarn’s government could weaken. The opposition would push harder. And the military — which has staged coups repeatedly since 1932 — could move again.
Younger Thais want reform. Many say the monarchy and entrenched elites block change. Instead of calming tensions, the indictment may deepen them. Street protests are likely.
The Shinawatra family is once more at the center. The court’s ruling will decide not just Thaksin’s future. It may decide how far Thailand’s democracy can go.
