Reserve Senators stormed the Ministry of Justice, urging the minister to stop pursuing those who leaked confidential case documents and instead to expedite the investigation into vote-rigging in the Senate election case.
At 14:00 on 28 Aug 2026 GMT+7 at the Ministry of Justice on Chaeng Watthana Road, Mr. Akarawat Pongthanachalitkul, along with former reserve Senate candidates and about 20 civil society members, gathered to submit a complaint requesting a halt to interference, obstruction, and legal actions silencing whistleblowers exposing corruption in the Senate election or attempts to overthrow the government. Mr. Kittiwit Khongbunruk, head of the Ministry of Justice joint service center, accepted the letter on behalf of the ministry.
Mr. Akarawat revealed that today, civil society and former Senate candidates from 2024 submitted a letter to the Minister of Justice following recent revelations of documents exposing Senate election fraud. This exposed deliberate delays intended to stall the case from reaching the Supreme Court despite over two years passing. The matter was referred to independent bodies such as the Election Commission and the Department of Special Investigation, responsible for money laundering and organized crime cases, but the investigation remains with the DSI. As time passes, the implicated parties have expanded to include issues of attempts to overthrow the government, raising concerns that senior officials might be perceived as collaborators.
He continued that uncovering corruption is not the responsibility of any single individual; all sectors, including the Ministry of Justice and independent organizations, must cooperate to publicly disclose evidence provided by whistleblowers. However, the Minister of Justice, a former police officer, appears particularly zealous in tracking down and punishing those who leak documents rather than protecting those revealing the truth. The constitution’s Article 63 clearly states that upon detecting corruption, citizens and officials have a duty to bring facts to investigation and prosecute offenders. He also urged the DSI to promptly conclude the case involving over 229 individuals, including Senators and supporters from political parties or outsiders, and called on the minister to perform duties impartially for the benefit of over 60 million Thai citizens, refrain from favoring any group, and stop establishing committees to investigate those who leaked documents.
Pol. Col. Manat Nakornsri, former election inspector of Samut Prakan province and former legal advisor to the Department of Rights Protection and Liberties at the Ministry of Justice, revealed he once trusted both the Election Commission and the Department of Rights Protection to act with integrity and fairness. Yet, upon working within, he found the opposite. The leak of case documents occurred because staff lacked confidence in the EC’s work and its secretary-general, Mr. Sa-wang. Manat had uncovered evidence of vote-rigging and collusion involving organized lists at Muang Thong Thani and informed Mr. Sa-wang, who dismissed it, saying it was already planned. When Manat reported this to executives, the chair sided with others and accused him of lying.
Pol. Col. Manat added that by law, the EC has one year to resolve this matter and present it to the Supreme Court, yet over two years have passed with no progress, causing public frustration seeking justice. He questioned why the agency tasked with preventing election fraud appears to be orchestrating the election system itself. He had raised this issue in parliament and expressed deep regret that, despite helping disadvantaged citizens without funds for lawyers, he was dismissed from his advisory role at the Department of Rights Protection by the EC.