The Bangkok South Criminal Court acquitted former prime minister Chuan Leekpai of a defamation charge filed by ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra today.
The court case stems from October 28, 2012, when Chuan, speaking at the opening of the Democrat party’s political school, accused Thaksin of being responsible for the armed violence in the Deep South, including an insurgent attack in 2004.
This led to a series of violent incidents, causing the deaths of over 7,500 individuals.
During the lecture, Chuan alleged that Thaksin used force against the insurgents and disbanded the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre.
However, the court ruled that as a politician, Chuan has the right to criticize past events and found him not guilty.
Before the verdict was read, Chuan requested to submit a written statement summarizing the witness examinations from the past seven days.
In the witness examinations, Chuan mentioned “killings” and “killings to silence witnesses.”
A former deputy commander of the Fourth Army Region, Chuan's witness, testified about a meeting in 2011, where Thaksin briefed his policy on the unrest in the Deep South.
Thaksin reportedly expressed that the insurgents could be eliminated if certain actions were taken.
Chuan commended the deputy commander for opposing Thaksin’s policy during the meeting and recording his statement.
He also suggested that if the government had heeded the deputy commander's advice, much of the bloodshed in the Deep South could have been avoided.
Chuan claimed that Thaksin had once acknowledged the policy mistake.
