On 21 Mar, the Appeals Court denied bail with 1.3 million baht in cash as guarantee for Thanthawut Thaweewarodomkul, the web designer of Nor Por Chor USA, who was sentenced last week to 13 years in jail.

The Criminal Court has given a ruling that Thantawut Thaweewarodomkul, the web designer of Nor Por Chor USA, is guilty under Section 112 of the Criminal Code (lese majeste) and Computer Crime Act (CCA), and sentenced him to 13 years’ imprisonment, 10 for lese majeste and 3 for computer crimes.

The mainstream Thai mass media faces a complex set of challenges ranging from legal barriers and political bias to other internal problems that prevent it from protecting the public interest and advancing freedom and democracy, Thailand's first Asian Media Barometer report has found.

The trial of webmaster Chiranuch Premchaiporn, who stands accused of 10 counts of violating the Computer Crime Act (CCA) 2007 as an intermediary who facilitated discussions later deemed as defamatory to Thailand’s royal family, ran for five days before the Criminal Court decided to postpone it to September 1 this year.

Thanthawut Thaweewarodomkul has told the court that he did not post the allegedly offensive messages and he was forced to confess by police, and insisted that he is not the administrator of www.norporchorusa.com.