Ex-PM Thaksin to be charged with insulting royalty in 2015

Thailand's AttorneyGeneral will indict former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for allegedly insulting the monarchy, said an official on May 29, in a setback to a political heavyweight whose loyalists are currently in government.

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The complaint, lodged by the royalist military that ousted the government of his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, stemmed from an interview the influential tycoon gave to foreign media in 2015.

Other charges against Mr Thaksin include violating a computer crime law.

"The Attorney-General has decided to indict Thaksin on all charges," spokesperson Prayuth Bejraguna said, adding that the former premier would need to appear before court on June 18.

Mr Thaksin, 74, denies wrongdoing and has repeatedly pledged his loyalty to the crown, criticism of which is forbidden under Thailand's lese majeste law, which is one of the world's strictest of its kind.

His would be the highest-profile case among more than 270 prosecutions in recent years under the controversial law, which carries a maximum jail term of 15 years for each perceived insult to the royal family.