Thaksin Shinawatra indicted for royal defamation in Thailand

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was granted release on bail after being formally indicted for defaming the country's monarchy. The law on defaming the monarchy, known as lese majeste, carries a penalty of three to 15 years in prison. Thaksin, ousted in 2006, has faced accusations of corruption and disrespect towards the monarchy. His case is one of several complicating Thai politics, with courts seen as supporting the royalist establishment. Thaksin's bail release includes a bond of 500,000 baht and restrictions on leaving Thailand without court permission.