Thailand’s jailed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will soon walk free from detention after his parole was approved, according to Thailand’s justice minister, just six months after his dramatic return to the kingdom.
A Thai court on Wednesday convicted a prominent political activist of defaming the country’s monarchy and sentenced her to a two-year suspended jail term under a controversial law that criminalizes any perceived criticism of the royal institution. Patsaravalee Tanakitvibulpon, better known by her nickname “Mind,” had pleaded not guilty to an offense under Article 112 of the criminal code, relating to a speech she gave at a rally in the capital in March 2021. A judge at the Bangkok South Criminal Court officially sentenced her to three years in prison for the crime known as lese majeste, but reduced it to a two-year suspended term due to her cooperation.
(Bloomberg) Thai politics has had an eventful year, with a general election ending nearly a decade of military-backed rule and former premier Thaksin Shinawatra setting foot in the Southeast Asian country for the first time in 15 years.Most Read from BloombergVilified Zero-Day Options Blamed by Traders for S&P DeclineHarvard Financial Pain Grows as Blavatnik Joins Donor RevoltGiuliani Files for Bankruptcy After $148 Million Defamation LossHyperloop One to Shut Down After Failing to Reinvent T
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been focusing on stimulating Thailand's sluggish economy since taking office on Sept. 5, after months of political deadlock that hindered the formation of a government following the May 14 general election.