Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra to Face Prosecution for Lese Majeste Charges

National—

On May 28th, 2024, Thai national media reported that a lawyer representing former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited the Office of the Attorney General to request a postponement of a hearing scheduled for 9 AM on May 29th, in a case involving charges of political crimes under Section 112, also known as Lese Majeste.

According to the lawyer, Thaksin has reportedly contracted COVID-19, and physicians have advised him to rest and remain under observation until June 3rd, 2024.

TPN has previously covered Thaksin’s case, highlighting the charges under Section 112 of the Criminal Code for alleged offenses against the monarchy.

At 9:00 AM on May 29th, the Attorney General’s Office held a press conference regarding the case. Thai National media reported that the Attorney General had issued an order to prosecute Thaksin.
However, the Attorney General’s Office was unable to file charges against Thaksin with the court because he was not present at the scheduled hearing. The lawyer applied to postpone the hearing of the Attorney General’s Office’s order to June 25th, 2024 at 9:00 AM.

After considering the circumstances, the Attorney General’s Office agreed to adjourn the hearing to June 18th, 2024, to allow for further legal proceedings, according to Thai national media.