Deputy Prime Minister Thongsak Thongsri has appointed a lawyer to file a defamation complaint against Sananchai, Parit, and Yingcheep iLaw for alleging involvement in Senate vote rigging. He denies the lawsuit aims to silence critics but states the claims are entirely false and damaging to his reputation.
On 2 August 2026, lawyer Tiwa Karkasang received authorization from Deputy Prime Minister Thongsak Thongsri to file a criminal complaint with Acting Police Lieutenant Colonel Wisnuchai Kham, an investigator at Bueng Kan City Police Station, Bueng Kan Province, requesting prosecution against three individuals: 1. Mr. Sananchai Chuayudomthanakit a former candidate for the Nong Bua Lamphu provincial Senate seat; 2. Mr. Parit Watcharasinthu a party-list Member of Parliament from the People's Party and chair of the opposition coalition coordination committee (Opposition Whip); and 3. Mr. Yingcheep Atchananont director of the Internet for People’s Law Project (iLaw).
They are charged with defamation under Penal Code Section 326 and with publishing defamatory content nationwide through media under Section 328. Section 328 defines defamation by advertising through documents, drawings, films, images, written materials, sound recordings, broadcasts, or other means that make defamatory content public.
Lawyer Tiwa stated that the three defendants and associates committed separate offenses on 12 July 2026, when Mr. Parit (the second defendant), as opposition whip, organized a seminar titled “2nd Anniversary of Senate Elections – In-Depth Evidence of Senate Vote Rigging” at the Parliament building on Samsen Road, Nakhon Chai Si Subdistrict, Dusit District, Bangkok. The event was held before a large audience and multiple media outlets, allowing audio and video recording for nationwide news dissemination.
At that event, Mr. Sananchai (the first defendant) spoke as a witness on stage. The seminar accused Mr. Thongsak, while serving as Deputy Minister of Interior, of involvement in Senate vote rigging in Nong Bua Lamphu Province. The lawyer emphasized that all allegations made by the three during the parliamentary seminar are completely false.
Mr. Thongsak filed the complaint because the dissemination of these falsehoods caused damage. He wants the three individuals to surrender or meet with investigators to clarify the truth of their statements. He does not intend to use the complaint to silence anyone. Everyone has the right and freedom to conduct oversight, but it must be based on truth. Since these allegations are false, a complaint is necessary to proceed legally against the three defendants. If investigations reveal others involved, further prosecutions may follow.
The lawyer concluded by emphasizing, “This complaint is not to silence anyone. Everyone has legal rights to conduct oversight, and we also have the right to exercise our legal rights equally under the law and constitution.”
