Thai ex-PM under probe for lese majeste

Thai police are investigating whether fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra committed royal defamation in a recent interview, authorities said yesterday as they announced his passports had been revoked.

Thailand's junta also confirmed that elections will not be held until September 2016, dealing a further blow to hopes that the kingdom's generals will swiftly hand power back to a civilian government.

When army chief and now Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha swept to power in a coup last May he initially said he hoped to hold elections within 15 months.

Thaksin, the billionaire telecoms tycoon-turned-prime minister, who was toppled by a coup in 2006, sits at the heart of Thailand's bitter political divide and lives in self-imposed exile to avoid jail on a corruption charge.

On Wednesday the foreign ministry said it was asked to take action against Thaksin after police deemed that "part of his interview endangered national security".

Last week Thaksin made rare comments to overseas media as the Thai military marked a year in power, although it was not immediately clear which interview he faces censure for.

Under Section 112, anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.

Confirming the police probe, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told AFP that Thaksin's "remarks were detrimental to the state and the monarchy".

Thai and foreign media routinely self-censor to avoid breaching the draconian lese majeste legislation, under which repetition of the alleged offence could itself break the law.

In a video of an interview to Korean television in Seoul that went viral on Thai social media, the former premier made reference to those he thought were behind last year's coup.

AFP were not immediately able to access a copy of the original broadcast.

The foreign ministry also said that two passports belonging to Thaksin had been cancelled with effect from May 26.

Since going into self-imposed exile the former premier has travelled frequently from his base in Dubai. He is believed to hold passports from other countries.