Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was cleared Friday of royal defamation charges, relieving one of the threats to his embattled dynasty, which has dominated the nation's politics for two decades.
Thaksin's family has long jousted with the nation's pro-military, pro-monarchy elite, who view their populist movement as a threat to Thailand's traditional social order.
Their tenure as a defining force in Thai politics has unfolded in a saga of coups, street protests and court cases as they have grappled for the kingdom's levers of power.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.