Thaksin granted bail, surrenders passport, banned from going abroad

10 Sept 10:34 Key points summarised by AI

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was granted bail after being formally indicted on charges of lèse majesté and violating the Computer Crime Act.
The charges originate from his 2015 remarks to South Korean media, where he accused the Privy Council and military of orchestrating a coup, which were deemed insulting to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Bail was set at Bt500,000, with strict conditions including the confiscation of his passport and a ban on leaving Thailand without prior court permission.
Thaksin maintains his innocence, asserting that his prosecution is a politically motivated "toxic fruit" stemming from a military coup.

Suchada: Meet the reluctant star of Thailand’s cryptic crypto drama

Today 15:38 Key points summarised by AI

Thai MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap faces intense scrutiny over her husband’s substantial 1.84 billion baht wealth, with opposition lawmakers alleging connections to international scam networks.
A significant portion of her husband, Taiyang Zhang's, declared assets includes a 1.44 billion baht loan to the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, which still owes him 1.34 billion baht.
Opposition MP Rangsiman Rome accused Suchada's husband of links to online scam networks and gambling sites, prompting Suchada to vehemently deny the claims, demand evidence, and file a defamation complaint.
Taiyang Zhang's background includes co-founding Ren Protocol, later sold to Alameda Research (linked to the FTX collapse), and some of his former associates have been convicted in crypto company failures.
Suchada, a former actress and first-time MP, maintains her husband's innocence, while her party leaders have distanced themselves from the allegations, deeming it a private matter.