Thaksin Formally Charged With Lese-Majeste

Local media outlets report that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, widely seen as the éminence grise of the ruling Pheu Thai Party (PTP), has been formally charged with breaching Thailand's strict laws protecting the constitutional monarchy.

• This comes on the back of a decision by Attorney-General Amnat Chetcharoenrak to indict Thaksin on charges related to his 2015 interview for the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, in which he accused privy councillors of being behind the 2014 coup which ousted the government of his sister Yingluck Shinawatra.
• Thaksin's lawyer declared that the ex-Prime Minister is ready to demonstrate his innocence through the judicial process. He argued that the video clip with the interview may have been edited, adding that Thaksin is required to attend the hearing on June 18 due to his bail conditions.
• The PTP was able to take power due to a political pact with an array of royalist, pro-military parties. There was widespread speculation that allowing for Thaksin's safe return to the country was part of deal.