Thaksin’s plea for leniency in lese majeste case faces opposition
Students and the People’s Network for Thailand Reform on Friday handed a letter to the Office of the Attorney-General opposing former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s request for fair treatment after he was charged with violating the lese majeste law.
The group’s leader, Pichit Chaimongkol, said that Thaksin’s petition seeking fair treatment should not be approved, claiming the ex-PM had been reluctant to return to Thailand to undergo a legal process.
He also asked the attorney-general to clarify whether the ex-premier would be detained after he is released from jail on parole.
Recently, Justice Minister Thawee Sodsong confirmed that Thaksin was set to walk free from prison as he had completed half of his jail term and had met the parole criteria of being old and ill. Thaksin, since his return on August 22 last year, has not spent a single night behind bars but has been staying at the Police General Hospital.
However, the former PM faced additional charges of breaching the Computer Crime Act and lese majeste law, or Article 112 of the Penal Code, due to an interview he gave to Korean media in 2015.
Pichit said the Police General Hospital informed the group that only officials from the Office of the Ombudsman came to meet Thaksin. This contradicts the earlier assertion of the Office of the Attorney-General that police had met Thaksin in the hospital to present an arrest warrant, he said.
He also reiterated his group would go to meet Thaksin in person on the day he was released.
Normally, the Students and the People’s Network for Thailand Reform gather at Chamai Maru Chet Bridge, located in the proximity of Government House to oppose Thaksin’s likely release.
