An optometrist in northern Thailand has been indicted for defaming then Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn last year. 

 

 

On 29 December 2016, Sarawut (surname withheld due to privacy reasons), aged 32, was indicted in a military court in Chiang Rai Province for violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law, and the Computer Crimes Act, which outlaws the importation of illegal online content, reported Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

 

Sarawut is an optometrist living in Chiang Rai. The accusation against him concerns the alleged posting of two defamatory images of then Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn. 

 

The investigation into Sarawut began when soldiers from the 37th Military Circle of Chiang Rai filed a complaint under Article 112 against Sarawut on 21 July 2016. Police then confiscated Sarawut’s electronic devices under a search warrant on 26 August 2016 before sending them to the Technology Crime Suppression Division.

 

Sarawut has been detained since 11 October 2016. After reading the charges against Sarawut that day, the police took him to the military court to remand him in custody, reasoning that the investigation into the case was incomplete. 

 

He will be summoned to court again on 7 February 2017 for the deposition hearing.