The Constitutional court today declined to investigate former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who had been accused of influencing the governing Pheu Thai Party. A petition to the court made several allegations, including that Thaksin had used his access to Pheu Thai to gain special privileges during his detention in a police hospital, that he ordered Pheu Thai to expel Palang Pracharath from the coalition government, and that he had an undue influence on the selection of the current PM following the removal of Srettha Thavisin.
The court unanimously dismissed these claims, which seems remarkable given that the Prime Minister is Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn. (In an interview with Time magazine on 17th April last year, she said: “I’ve always been daddy’s little girl. So I consult with him about almost everything”.) Yet Pheu Thai has somehow avoided the fate of its predecessors Thai Rak Thai, the People Power Party, and Thai Raksa Chart, all of which have been dissolved by the court in previous years.
The court also ruled today that it would not investigate Pheu Thai on sedition charges, although it dissolved the Move Forward Party for sedition earlier this year. Thaksin and Pheu Thai clearly gained brownie points from the military establishment by excluding Move Forward from the ruling coalition last year, and it seems that Thaksin’s political roles—his behind-the-scenes influence and public campaigning—are still being tolerated. This afternoon, after the court’s announcement, a visibly moved Paetongtarn told reporters: “I feel relieved and happy”.
The court unanimously dismissed these claims, which seems remarkable given that the Prime Minister is Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn. (In an interview with Time magazine on 17th April last year, she said: “I’ve always been daddy’s little girl. So I consult with him about almost everything”.) Yet Pheu Thai has somehow avoided the fate of its predecessors Thai Rak Thai, the People Power Party, and Thai Raksa Chart, all of which have been dissolved by the court in previous years.
The court also ruled today that it would not investigate Pheu Thai on sedition charges, although it dissolved the Move Forward Party for sedition earlier this year. Thaksin and Pheu Thai clearly gained brownie points from the military establishment by excluding Move Forward from the ruling coalition last year, and it seems that Thaksin’s political roles—his behind-the-scenes influence and public campaigning—are still being tolerated. This afternoon, after the court’s announcement, a visibly moved Paetongtarn told reporters: “I feel relieved and happy”.
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