BANGKOK: Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Saturday he was ready to face charges of insulting the monarchy that mark a setback to a political heavyweight whose allies are currently in government.
The complaint, lodged by the royalist military that ousted the government of his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, stems from an interview the influential tycoon gave to foreign media in 2015. Other charges include violating a computer crime law.
Thaksin said he would meet prosecutors on June 18, but he was not concerned about the case and was ready to fight it.
“It’s nothing. The case is baseless,” he told reporters.
Thaksin, 74, denies wrongdoing and has repeatedly pledged loyalty to the crown, criticism of which is forbidden under Thailand’s controversial lese-majeste law, one of the strictest of its kind around the world.
His is the most high-profile case among more than 270 prosecutions in recent years under the law, which carries a maximum jail term of 15 years for each perceived insult against the royal family.
Thaksin founded the populist Pheu Thai party and his family’s parties have won all but one election since 2001, with three Shinawatra governments toppled by coups or court rulings.
The billionaire returned to Thailand in 2023 from 15 years of self-imposed exile, when he remained a central figure during repeated bouts of political upheaval.
He was convicted of abuse of power and conflicts of interest and sentenced to eight years in prison, later commuted to one year by the king. He was released on parole in February after just six months in detention.
Pheu Thai leads the current government, with Thaksin’s business ally Srettha Thavisin serving as prime minister and his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the party’s chief.
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Thai ex-PM Thaksin says ready to face royal insult charges
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Thai ex-PM Thaksin says ready to face royal insult charges
- The complaint stems from an interview the influential tycoon gave to foreign media in 2015
- Thaksin said he would meet prosecutors on June 18, but he was not concerned about the case and was ready to fight it
Costa Rica’s Grynspan pledges reform in bid for UN chief job
GENEVA: Rebeca Grynspan is upbeat about her chances of becoming the next head of the United Nations, which she insists must become more agile in tackling the world’s crises.
The Costa Rican former vice president said she wanted to rebuild global trust in the United Nations if she becomes its next secretary-general.
“We are very optimistic. I think that I am more than a viable candidate,” Grynspan said on Friday, her last working day before stepping aside as head of the UN trade and development agency UNCTAD to focus on her campaign.
The second term of current UN chief Antonio Guterres expires at the end of the year.
“My profile is right for this moment. I know the UN enough to reform it and enough to defend it,” she told the UN correspondents’ association ACANU.
“I have a lot of experience in my political life, taking decisions under a lot of stress and in complex situations. I have been in the highest positions in the UN.”
It is Latin America’s turn next for the top UN job and two other candidates are running: former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, and Rafael Grossi, the Argentinian head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Founded in 1945, the UN has never had a woman secretary-general.
Grynspan, an economist, is not looking to be chosen on that basis.
“I don’t need any favors to be elected for the secretary-general; I just need people not to discriminate me for being a woman,” the 70-year-old said.
“If the competition will be fair, with no biases, I will make it. I have the CV; I have the merits.”
- Rebuilding trust -
Last month, Guterres warned that the UN was facing financial collapse and could run out of cash by July, with member states neither paying in full nor or time.
“The UN has to change,” said Grynspan.
There are far greater capacities in civil society and the private sector than in 1945, “and we need to be able to harness that: we don’t have to do everything in the UN.”
As for peace and security, “prevention and mediation are essential. But they need agility and flexibility from the structures of the UN. And I don’t think we have that right now.”
US President Donald Trump has slashed funding to some UN agencies and has repeatedly questioned the UN’s relevance and attacked its priorities, setting up his own “Board of Peace.”
“The UN is unique because it’s the only legitimate, universal organization,” said Grynspan.
“We need to rebuild trust with the member states. We need to regain the belief that the UN is useful to solve problems,” she said, vowing to bring her personal qualities to the task.
“I am able to reach to people not only with logic, but also with inspiration, optimism and hope,” she said.
“We need more of that too, because we need to connect again much more with people. We will need to conquer the hearts and minds again.”
- Leadership style -
The UNCTAD chief said her leadership style revolved around being “direct, honest, and evidence-based... There have to be reasons, not only emotions.”
Grynspan recounted that her parents, who were from Poland, “barely survived” World War II. Her maternal grandparents were killed in the Holocaust.
Her parents went “with nothing” to Costa Rica, a country that “allowed them to have a good life.”
“Costa Rica has taught me a lot. It’s a country that I not only love dearly, but I admire,” she said.
“I am not an impetuous person. I think things through. I have the serenity not to lose it under tension and under pressure. I consult. I hear. And I am brave. I take risks.”
rjm/ceg
The Costa Rican former vice president said she wanted to rebuild global trust in the United Nations if she becomes its next secretary-general.
“We are very optimistic. I think that I am more than a viable candidate,” Grynspan said on Friday, her last working day before stepping aside as head of the UN trade and development agency UNCTAD to focus on her campaign.
The second term of current UN chief Antonio Guterres expires at the end of the year.
“My profile is right for this moment. I know the UN enough to reform it and enough to defend it,” she told the UN correspondents’ association ACANU.
“I have a lot of experience in my political life, taking decisions under a lot of stress and in complex situations. I have been in the highest positions in the UN.”
It is Latin America’s turn next for the top UN job and two other candidates are running: former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, and Rafael Grossi, the Argentinian head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Founded in 1945, the UN has never had a woman secretary-general.
Grynspan, an economist, is not looking to be chosen on that basis.
“I don’t need any favors to be elected for the secretary-general; I just need people not to discriminate me for being a woman,” the 70-year-old said.
“If the competition will be fair, with no biases, I will make it. I have the CV; I have the merits.”
- Rebuilding trust -
Last month, Guterres warned that the UN was facing financial collapse and could run out of cash by July, with member states neither paying in full nor or time.
“The UN has to change,” said Grynspan.
There are far greater capacities in civil society and the private sector than in 1945, “and we need to be able to harness that: we don’t have to do everything in the UN.”
As for peace and security, “prevention and mediation are essential. But they need agility and flexibility from the structures of the UN. And I don’t think we have that right now.”
US President Donald Trump has slashed funding to some UN agencies and has repeatedly questioned the UN’s relevance and attacked its priorities, setting up his own “Board of Peace.”
“The UN is unique because it’s the only legitimate, universal organization,” said Grynspan.
“We need to rebuild trust with the member states. We need to regain the belief that the UN is useful to solve problems,” she said, vowing to bring her personal qualities to the task.
“I am able to reach to people not only with logic, but also with inspiration, optimism and hope,” she said.
“We need more of that too, because we need to connect again much more with people. We will need to conquer the hearts and minds again.”
- Leadership style -
The UNCTAD chief said her leadership style revolved around being “direct, honest, and evidence-based... There have to be reasons, not only emotions.”
Grynspan recounted that her parents, who were from Poland, “barely survived” World War II. Her maternal grandparents were killed in the Holocaust.
Her parents went “with nothing” to Costa Rica, a country that “allowed them to have a good life.”
“Costa Rica has taught me a lot. It’s a country that I not only love dearly, but I admire,” she said.
“I am not an impetuous person. I think things through. I have the serenity not to lose it under tension and under pressure. I consult. I hear. And I am brave. I take risks.”
rjm/ceg
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