BANGKOK: Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to testify in court on Wednesday (Jul 16), seeking to defend himself against royal defamation charges in a watershed case for his faltering political dynasty.
Thaksin faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted in the closed-door trial in Bangkok, where he stands accused of breaching strict lese majeste laws shielding Thailand’s royal family from abuse and criticism.
For the past quarter-century, the 75-year-old telecoms magnate has been a defining figure of Thai politics, founding a political dynasty which has jousted with the traditional pro-royal, pro-military elite.
But his prosecution, combined with the suspension of his daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, two weeks ago, represents a dramatic waning of their family’s political fortune, analysts say.
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