Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been granted permission to leave Thailand temporarily by a court, despite facing charges of lese-majeste (insulting the monarchy). The court cited 'benefits of international relations' as the reason for the exception.
A Thai court granted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra permission to leave the country temporarily, a rare exception for a defendant facing royal insult charges. The 75-year-old billionaire was jailed for eight years on charges of corruption and abuse of power after returning to Thailand two years ago following 15 years in exile. He was later pardoned by the king six months later.
Last year, he was charged with lese-majeste, a crime in Thailand that involves insulting the monarchy, over comments he made to a South Korean media outlet nine years previously and is set to face trial in July. According to Thai law, defendants facing trial must remain in the country unless granted special permission by a court. On Friday, a court decided to allow Thaksin to leave, citing 'the benefits of international relations' as a reason for his temporary departure, though it did not elaborate on the purpose of his trip. In December, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appointed Thaksin as his Asean advisor as he took the chair of Southeast Asia's regional bloc this year. Although Thaksin has previously said he would not be involved in politics, he remains active, including by campaigning for his former party Pheu Thai.'The court has considered and allowed the defendant to leave the kingdom between July 2-3, which does not affect the trial,' the court statement said. The billionaire ex-PM must report to authorities within three days of his return. Thailand has some of the world's strictest lese-majeste laws, with any criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn or his immediate family punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Critics and rights groups say the law is abused to stifle legitimate debate
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