Thailand court dismisses royal defamation case against ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra

Bangkok [Thailand], August 22 : A Thai court has dismissed a high-profile royal defamation case against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, citing insufficient evidence, Al Jazeera reported.

"The case was dismissed," Thaksin, 76, told reporters with a smile as he left the court following the verdict on Friday. His lawyer, Winyat Chatmontree, added, "The court dismissed the charges against Thaksin, ruling that the evidence presented was insufficient."

According to Al Jazeera, the criminal court in Bangkok later confirmed that it had dropped the case due to a lack of evidence. The case related to allegations that Thaksin had violated Thailand's strict lese-majeste laws in a 2015 interview with foreign media, where he commented on the 2014 coup that ousted his sister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Supporters gathered outside the courthouse erupted in cheers after hearing the judgment. Many wore red shirts, the campaign colour of the party Thaksin founded. "The court has done its job properly, but I don't think we can relax yet," said 66-year-old food vendor Kamol Orahanta, among roughly 150 supporters present.

Thailand's interim Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai welcomed the decision but emphasised it was strictly a judicial matter. "It will have no political impact, as it was an independent judicial process," he told reporters. He added that the ruling Pheu Thai Party, founded by Thaksin, continues to have "high morale" despite the ongoing legal challenges faced by the Shinawatra family.

As reported by Al Jazeera, Thaksin still faces further legal hurdles. Next week, the constitutional court will deliver a ruling on his daughter and current Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was suspended from office over an alleged ethics violation stemming from a leaked telephone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.

In addition, the Supreme Court will hear in September whether Thaksin's six-month hospital detention, served before his parole release in 2024, should count as time served for earlier convictions related to abuse of power and conflict of interest. If ruled against him, the 76-year-old could be required to return to prison, Al Jazeera noted.

Thaksin, who denies wrongdoing and has consistently pledged allegiance to the monarchy, spent 15 years in self-imposed exile before returning to Thailand in 2023. His case was among more than 280 prosecutions filed in recent years under the lese-majeste laws, which critics argue are used to suppress dissent, while royalists defend them as essential to safeguarding the crown.

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