Former Thai PM Thaksin indicted on charge of royal defamation as court cases stir political woes

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been granted release on bail hours after he was formally indicted on a charge of defaming the country’s monarchy in one of several court cases that have unsteadied Thai politics. His lawyer told reporters Tuesday that Thaksin was ready to enter the judicial process. Thaksin was originally charged in 2016 but the case was not pursued then because he was in exile to avoid punishment on other legal judgments he decried as political. He served minimal punishment after returning to Thailand last year as the Pheu Thai party, seen as his political machine, joined hands with its longstanding conservative rivals to form a government.