Ex-PM Thaksin says his Pheu Thai party won’t back reforms that hurt Thai monarchy

Former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Pheu Thai, the party he supported in Sunday’s election, won’t back any action that could harm the monarchy after it agreed to participate in a coalition with top opposition group Move Forward.

Speaking in public for the first time since the vote, he heralded the result as a rejection of the military’s “excessive power despite a second place finish for Pheu Thai following two decades of electoral dominance for Thaksin-backed groups. Still, he distanced his family from Move Forward’s plans to ease rules outlawing criticism of the royal family.

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“The stance of the Pheu Thai Party and the Shinawatra family is we respect and love the institution of the monarchy,” Thaksin said, responding to a question about how the party doesn’t touch issues on the royal family. “How others perceive it is not something I can control. I am who I am, and I am open to criticism because I’m not fighting to do anything bad to the monarchy. I’m only fighting for political wins.”

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra speaks to Reuters during an interview in Singapore on February 23, 2016. (Reuters)

Thaksin’s stance draws a line in the sand on an issue that has faced staunch resistance within Thailand’s political establishment. While pro-democracy groups like Pheu Thai are eager to return to government, they’re also cautious not to provoke a strong reaction from military factions that led two coups against them in the past decade.

Election winner Move Forward, which said it will continue to hold talks with coalition partners on Wednesday, has vowed not to compromise on its push to change Article 112. That refers to Thailand’s law known as “lese majeste” that can put offenders behind bars for as many as 15 years if they’re convicted of offenses against the monarchy.

Move Forward seeks to secure 376 votes in the lower house, the number needed to bypass the military-appointed senate and get 42-year-old party leader Pita Limjaroenrat elected as prime minister. While pro-royalist members of Thailand’s 250-member upper house are facing mounting pressure to back Pita’s bid, at least one senator said he won’t be guided by poll results alone.

Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup and has lived abroad to avoid a jail term for a corruption conviction. He reiterated on Tuesday he’s ready to serve his prison sentence provided he’s al-lowed to spend the rest of his life with his family. Until the Sunday vote, Thaksin and allies had secured the most seats in every national election since 2001 due to his sway over the rural heartlands, which he won over with cheap healthcare and guaran-teed crop prices.

“I’ve made my decision. I don’t care about anything else,” he said, reiterating earlier remarks that he plans to come home July. “I’ve been overseas for 17 years, it’s like being in a big prison.”

Read more: Thai Move Forward leader Pita seeks opposition alliance after election win