BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday (Nov 22) dismissed a petition accusing former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the ruling Pheu Thai Party of attempting to overthrow the country’s democratic system of government with the King as head of state.
The court ruled by a majority vote of 7-2 to reject the petition filed by Teerayut Suwankaesorn, citing insufficient evidence to support the allegations.
The petition had claimed that Thaksin and Pheu Thai Party exercised their rights and freedoms to undermine Thailand’s democratic system. The court found that while the petitioner had properly followed legal procedures by first submitting the case to the Attorney General, the evidence presented was not compelling enough to warrant further investigation.
According to the court’s statement, for such cases to proceed under Article 49 of the Constitution, there must be clear and sufficient evidence demonstrating an intention that a reasonable person would interpret as an attempt to overthrow the democratic regime with the King as head of state. The actions in question must also be ongoing and not too remote from the alleged offense.
The ruling comes as Thaksin faces various legal challenges following his recent return to Thailand after years in self-imposed exile. His daughter Paetongtarn currently leads both the ruling Pheu Thai Party and the coalition government. (TNA)
