BANGKOK, Sept 2 – Thailand’s Criminal Court on Thursday sentenced media mogul and Yellow Shirt leader Sondhi Limthongkul and his television co-host to six-month imprisonment suspended for two years in a defamation case involving fugitive ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The court also ordered Mr Sondhi and Sarocha Pornudomsak to pay fines of Bt20,000 (US$640) each.

The deposed premier earlier filed defamation charges against the duo after they accused him on their television talk show for being disloyal to the country’s monarch.

Both TV hosts claimed in the programme that Surakiat Sathirathai, then foreign minister in the Thaksin administration, resigned from Thai Rak Thai party after the 2006 coup as he could not bear it when hearing Mr Thaksin insulting the monarchy.

Source: MCOT