The Criminal Court sentenced Dr. Rianthong to 3 years in prison, suspended for 2 years, fined 300,000 baht, and ordered him to compensate the plaintiff an additional 300,000 baht over defamatory posts about a famous noodle shop.
At courtroom 911 of the Criminal Court at 09:30 on 28 Aug 2023 GMT+7, the court heard the verdict in the case where Tang Hok Kee Cantonese Noodles was the plaintiff and Pol. Maj. Gen. Dr. Rianthong Naenna was the defendant. He was charged with defamation by advertising after posting on social media accusing the plaintiff harshly of being an ally of royal enemies, causing significant damage to the plaintiff's reputation and business.
The plaintiff filed suit stating that on 19 Feb 2023 the defendant posted several Facebook messages referring to the plaintiff, accusing them of being "allies of royal enemies" and "attention seekers," and shared posts from others related to the defamation case between plaintiff and defendant. This led the public to believe the plaintiff opposed the monarchy, harming the reputation, honor, profession, and credibility of the restaurant, potentially deterring customers and the public from patronizing or associating with the business. The plaintiff requested the court to punish the defendant under Criminal Code sections 91, 326, 328, 332, and 393, claim damages of 400,000 baht plus legal interest, and order the defendant to publish the court’s judgment and an apology on his Facebook for 60 days.
The court ruled the defendant guilty as charged, convicting him of defamation by advertising, the most serious offense under the law. He was sentenced to 1 year imprisonment and fined 100,000 baht per count, totaling 3 years and 300,000 baht for three counts. The prison term was suspended for 2 years. The defendant was ordered to delete all defamatory Facebook posts and to publish a summary of the judgment in two widely circulated newspapers for three consecutive days and on two online news websites, with the defendant bearing the advertising costs. He was also ordered to pay the plaintiff 300,000 baht in compensation plus 5% annual interest from the date of filing until full payment is completed.