The Election Commission stated it has not yet received any report on the issue of "Chaturon" leading the Mon Thong team to campaign in favor of the constitutional amendment referendum. The commission said it must verify whether this falls under any legal provisions. Meanwhile, "Srisuwan" affirmed it clearly violates the law, prohibiting improper exploitation of children during such activities.
At 10:30 a.m. on 19 Jan 2026 GMT+7, at the Election Commission Office, Mr. Sa-wang Boonmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission, commented on complaints that Mr. Chaturon Chaisaeng, a party-list MP candidate for the Pheu Thai Party, posted a video clip during a visit to the Mon Thong Witthaya school football team. The video included messages indicating the Mon Thong football team supports the constitutional amendment. He said the facts and election and referendum laws need review to determine if this constitutes deception or defamation, and whether there is any special intent, as required by legal criteria. Currently, it cannot be said if the behavior involved constitutes unlawful merrymaking.
Regarding the children expressing support for the constitutional amendment, this could be a matter of freedom of expression or campaigning for approval. However, the underlying circumstances require further investigation. At this stage, nothing can be concluded. Fundamentally, it is a right to express opinions and to campaign, which the law permits. Whether coercion or deception was involved cannot be determined yet and must await a formal investigation. So far, only news and differing statements exist; no official complaint to initiate an investigation has been filed.
When asked about Mr. Srisuwan Janya, leader of the Rak Chat Rak Paendin organization, intending to file a complaint with the Election Commission to investigate whether the case violates the 2025 Referendum Act and the 2003 Child Protection Act, Mr. Sa-wang said it is Mr. Srisuwan's right to do so. However, it is not yet known whether the apparent facts constitute an offense since everyone has the right to speak. If anyone believes deception has occurred, they should file a complaint to prompt an investigation to ascertain the facts.
Later, Mr. Srisuwan submitted the complaint to the Election Commission regarding this matter. He stated that Mr. Sakon Kliangprasert, coach of the Mon Thong Witthaya football team, explained that he was unaware of any content production, as neither the coach nor the students are involved in politics or any party. They have only been targeted by politicians seeking to exploit their fame. Previously, no politician or anyone else had supported them. Based on this interview, he believes that the content edited and produced into videos by Mr. Chaturon, disseminated via various media, might constitute deception aimed at influencing referendum voters, which is prohibited under the Referendum Act.
Additionally, the football team members are children without the right to vote or participate in the referendum. Using their images to create content for online media may violate child protection laws prohibiting improper exploitation of children for personal or others' benefit. Although Mr. Chaturon has deleted the clip, legally the offense is considered complete. Therefore, he has lodged the complaint with the Election Commission to ensure that violators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.