Srettha joins meeting at Thaksin’s mansion for Thai goverment talk
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to host a critical meeting at his lavish Chan Song La Mansion in Bangkok’s Bang Phlat district today. The gathering, featuring political heavyweights and key family members, promises to tackle pressing issues that could reshape the Thai political landscape.
The high-stakes meeting will see the attendance of the Shinawatra clan and Potjaman Na Pombejra aka Damaphong, Thaksin’s ex-wife, who, despite their 2008 divorce, remains a pivotal figure within the ruling Pheu Thai Party. Potjaman’s influence is particularly significant as her youngest daughter, Paetongtarn, currently leads the party.
Central to the agenda is Thaksin’s looming legal battle over a lese majeste case. This controversy dates back to 2015, when Thaksin, while in exile following his ousting in a 2006 military coup, made allegedly defamatory remarks about the monarchy during a South Korean media interview.
On May 29, the Office of the Attorney General announced that Thaksin would face charges under Article 112 of the Penal Code, the stringent royal defamation law, alongside computer crime accusations.
Political insiders suggest that Pheu Thai lawmakers are gearing up to push a draft amnesty law through Parliament in July. This legislation aims to pardon lese majeste offenders, potentially extricating Thaksin from his legal quagmire. The manoeuvre could be bolstered by support from MPs of the opposition Move Forward Party, which is itself entangled in a dissolution case over accusations of attempting to subvert the constitutional monarchy.
Adding another layer of intrigue, the meeting is expected to address the court case against Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Forty senators are seeking his removal following his controversial appointment of Pichit Chuenban, a former lawyer with a chequered past, as PM’s Office Minister. The Constitutional Court, having accepted the senators’ petition, has mandated Srettha to present his defence by Monday, June 10, reported The Nation.
Rumours are rife that potential replacements for Srettha are already being considered, with Deputy PM and Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga and Pheu Thai’s Chaikasem Nitisiri emerging as frontrunners.
