Thai court acquits former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of royal defamation charge

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was acquitted of a royal defamation charge by a court on Friday, in a case that could have sent him to prison for up to 15 years.

The 76-year-old Thaksin, smiling as he walked away from the courtroom, was the first to reveal the verdict, responding to journalists' questions with the single word: “Dismissal.”

His lawyer, Winyat Chatmontree, also confirmed the acquittal verdict, as did the Bangkok Criminal Court later in a news release.

The law on defaming the monarchy, an offense known as lese majeste, is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. It is among the harshest such laws globally and increasingly has been used in Thailand to punish government critics.

The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights has said that since early 2020, more than 270 people — many of them student activists — have been charged with violating the law.

The court's news release said it had found the witnesses and evidence were too weak to support conviction.

Thaksin was originally charged in 2016 over remarks he made a year earlier to journalists in South Korea. The case was not pursued at that time because he was in exile and the necessary legal procedures could not be completed.

The news release said the court determined that the account of the interview presented by the prosecution was incomplete and lacked context, and a key point did not clearly refer specifically to then-King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

It also said the court thought that witnesses in the case against Thaksin might have been motivated by political bias, because they have participated in political protests against him, leaving open the possibility they may have unfairly interpreted his words.

Thaksin’s opponents, who were generally staunch royalists, accused him of corruption, abuse of power and disrespecting then-King Bhumibol, who died in 2016. Thaksin has always asserted that the cases against him were politically motivated.

When he was indicted last year, Thaksin’s freedom on bail was approved with the condition that he could not travel out of Thailand unless approved by court. His passport was confiscated.

Despite facing various prosecutions since leaving office, Thaksin has spent no time in prison. He was abroad in 2006 when a military coup ousted him. He briefly returned in 2008, only to return quickly to exile to avoid a possible prison term.

He r eturned to Thailand in 2023 when the Pheu Thai political party that he is closely associated with came to power. He was sent to serve an eight-year prison term on charges related to corruption and abuse of power but was transferred immediately to a hospital on medical grounds. After six months in a hospital suite, he was granted a pardon and parole and set free.

The decision to send him to a hospital instead of prison was widely questioned as to whether he was granted a special, undeserved privilege. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders will rule next month in another case that puts him in jeopardy of imprisonment.

Since his return, Thaksin has maintained a high profile, traveling the country making public appearances and political observations that could upset the powerful conservative establishment that was behind his 2006 ouster.

His daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who became prime minister last year, is also in hot water. She stands accused of failing to handle in an ethical manner a June 15 call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen in which they discussed tensions over territory claimed by both nations. The Constitutional Court suspended her from her duties on July 1 and next week will rule whether she will lose her prime minister position for breaching ethics laws.

Thais have long been accustomed to sudden changes of government due to military coups, numbering more than a dozen since the 1930s. But in the past two decades, they have increasingly seen such changes imposed by the courts, which have ousted four prime ministers and dissolved three election-winning political parties, often on narrow technical grounds.

In most cases, the targets were viewed as challengers to the traditional royalist establishment, whose most powerful defenders are the army and the courts.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra leaves after a court acquitted Thaksin of royal defamation at Criminal Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, center, arrives at Criminal Court for a verdict for allegedly defaming the monarchy in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, center, leaves after a court acquitted Thaksin of royal defamation at Criminal Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives at Criminal Court for a verdict for allegedly defaming the monarchy in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

BEIJING (AP) — Breaking with the United States, Canada has agreed to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday.

Carney made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese leaders. He said there would be an initial cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports to Canada, growing to 70,000 over five years. China will reduce its tariff on canola seeds, a major Canadian export, from about 84% to about 15%, he told reporters.

“It has been a historic and productive two days,” Carney said, speaking outside against the backdrop of a traditional pavilion and a frozen pond at a Beijing park. “We have to understand the differences between Canada and other countries, and focus our efforts to work together where we’re aligned.”

Earlier Friday, he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to improve relations between their two nations after years of acrimony.

Xi told Carney in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People that he is willing to continue working to improve ties, noting that talks have been underway on restoring and restarting cooperation since the two held an initial meeting in October on the sidelines of a regional economic conference in South Korea.

“It can be said that our meeting last year opened a new chapter in turning China–Canada relations toward improvement,” China's top leader said.

Carney, the first Canadian prime minister to visit China in eight years, said better relations would help improve a global governance system that he described as “under great strain.”

He called for a new relationship “adapted to new global realities” and cooperation in agriculture, energy and finance.

Those new realities reflect in large part the so-called America-first approach of U.S. President Donald Trump. The tariffs he has imposed have hit both the Canadian and Chinese economies. Carney, who has met with several leading Chinese companies in Beijing, said ahead of his trip that his government is focused on building an economy less reliant on the U.S. at what he called “a time of global trade disruption.”

A Canadian business owner in China called Carney's visit game-changing, saying it re-establishes dialogue, respect and a framework between the two nations.

“These three things we didn’t have,” said Jacob Cooke, the CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, which helps exporters navigate the Chinese market. “The parties were not talking for years.”

Canada had followed the U.S. in putting tariffs of 100% on EVs from China and 25% on steel and aluminum under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Carney’s predecessor.

China responded by imposing duties of 100% on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. It added a 75.8% tariff on canola seeds last August. Collectively, the import taxes effectively closed the Chinese market to Canadian canola, an industry group has said. Overall, China's imports from Canada fell 10.4% last year to $41.7 billion, according to Chinese trade data.

China is hoping Trump’s pressure tactics on allies such as Canada will drive them to pursue a foreign policy that is less aligned with the United States. The U.S. president has suggested Canada could become America's 51st state.

Carney departs China on Saturday and visits Qatar on Sunday before attending the annual gathering of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland next week. He will meet business leaders and investors in Qatar to promote trade and investment, his office said.

Associated Press business writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, center, arrives to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, Pool)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)