Anutin Chanvirakul is moving forward with a defamation lawsuit against Yingcheep Atchanont, declaring there will be no settlement because this has happened many times before; people should think before they speak. He views this as a political maneuver driven by fear of Bhumjaithai's success and emphasizes he is not involved in the alleged Senate election rigging case—he did not do it, so why worry?
22 Jul 2026 GMT+7 Anutin Chanvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, gave an interview regarding the planned defamation lawsuit against Yingcheep Atchanont, director of the Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) project, who accused nine members of the Bhumjaithai Party, including Anutin, of involvement in the Senate election rigging case. He said, according to the law, anyone making accusations must have clear evidence. The matter is currently in the justice process and has not yet been filed. Who is he to judge and mention names like that, causing damage to reputations? The reports cite various witnesses, but who are these witnesses? We respect everyone’s right to speak, but they must take responsibility for their words.
When asked if he thought Yingcheep had a political motive, Anutin replied, "I don’t know what to say. Probably he doesn’t want us to succeed. Maybe he’s disappointed or something like that." When further asked if there was political involvement behind this, Anutin said, "I don’t think so and don’t waste time thinking about it. We all are under the same law. If anyone acts with bad intentions causing harm and division, it’s undesirable for the country. Everyone must be responsible for their own words."
Regarding Supachai Jaisamut, Bhumjaithai Party list MP and party legal representative, who posted on Facebook questioning whether iLaw’s donations came from foreign sources and were misused, Anutin said Supachai was assigned by the party to handle the case and is proceeding with appropriate measures. He added, "In the past, there were many such cases, and when lawsuits were filed, they would ask for reconciliation or leniency from the court, but this time there won’t be, because it has happened many times before."
When asked whether the defamation lawsuit would target only Yingcheep or others involved as well, Anutin said it depends on Supachai. The party states that if anyone harms the party or its members, they must be dealt with. Next time, people will think before they speak, especially influencers with many followers—they can’t just say or do whatever they want."
On questions regarding progress in the Senate election rigging case, which is still in the justice process, Anutin said he does not know because he is not involved. When asked if he was worried about the case, he replied, "What does that question imply? I’m not involved, so why should I worry? If I were involved, I would have been implicated long ago. This case started before I became Prime Minister, so no one needs to be wary of me. I was in opposition for 3-4 months with no power or influence. I couldn’t negotiate with anyone. What I can confirm is that I have no involvement, no need to be involved, and no intention to be involved."