Former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra will be formally charged with royal defamation on Tuesday as a court weighs a petition to disqualify Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin – two high-profile cases that threaten to plunge the Southeast Asian country into political turmoil.
Thaksin, a two-time former prime minister and de facto leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party, will be charged under the country’s strict majesty law, which shields the royal family from criticism. The attorney general decided to charge Thaksin last month, saying there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
Once 74-year-old Thaksin appears before prosecutors, he will be charged and brought to trial. The court may place him in pre-trial detention or release him on bail.
