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Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn revokes royal decorations of ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra

  • The royal gazette document said the king’s action was due to Thaksin’s guilty sentence in a corruption case in 2008

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Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Photo: AP
Reuters
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has revoked royal decorations that had been awarded to ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a document published on Saturday in the royal gazette showed.
The king’s order came less than a week after the pro-Thaksin political party Pheu Thai, Thailand’s main opposition group, stood against a party supporting the ruling military junta in disputed national elections. Officials have yet to release the full results.

Publicly revoking Thaksin’s royal decorations could discredit him, and perhaps his affiliated party, in the eyes of many Thais, because the monarchy is revered without question in Thai culture.

Saturday’s royal command to revoke Thaksin’s decorations was for his 2008 corruption conviction and for fleeing the country to escape a two-year prison sentence, the document said.

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“King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun issued a royal command to revoke royal decorations, because Thaksin Shinawatra was sentenced to jail by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders, in addition to many other accusations, and he fled the kingdom, which is a highly inappropriate behaviour,” it read.

The palace was not immediately available for further comment.

A week after March 24 vote, the outcome of Thailand’s election remains uncertain and might not be known until after official results due on May 9. Both Pheu Thai and the pro-army Palang Pracharat have claimed enough support to form a government.
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