“Yingcheep” threatens the Election Commission with more evidence, demands prosecution of 229 senators involved in election collusion, vows to vote “NO” on the new constitution if manipulated, and acknowledges a dilemma: if charges are dismissed, public protests may follow.
At 5:00 p.m. on 13 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Yingcheep Atchanont, director of the Internet Law for People Project (iLaw), spoke firmly and passionately on stage in front of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, emphasizing injustices in the legal system and corruption oversight. He called on the Election Commission (EC) to act transparently regarding prosecution decisions in cases involving senators.
Yingcheep questioned the unequal law enforcement process and the origins of independent bodies like the EC, which are linked to the current Senate. He stated that this system paralyzes state power and corruption oversight. He highlighted that the EC’s decision the next day is a crossroads: Door 1—if charges are dismissed, it will perpetuate the existing Senate’s power to block or influence the new constitution drafting. Leaders warned this would lead to a constitution that fails the people, and if it goes to referendum, crowds are ready to vote “No.”
Door 2—if charges are filed against the accused senators, they must temporarily suspend duties to enter the justice process. This would allow the new constitution drafting to be more diverse and truly representative of the people, while maintaining the current government's administrative framework as usual.
Moving forward with amendments to the 2017 constitution.
Yingcheep also mentioned the referendum on 8 Feb 2026, where over 21 million people voted to approve drafting a new constitution to replace the 2017 version. He affirmed that the ultimate goal is to create a political system derived from all the people, and they will continue their movement until this is achieved.
“If the EC dismisses all charges or even one case, we have extensive information in hand and are ready to present it publicly so everyone can see who did what. I urge the EC, which was appointed by the Senate, if you don’t want us to do this, then prosecute all 229 individuals and bring the case to the Supreme Court, which is a more neutral body than the EC.”
Before ending the event, leaders led the crowd in forming the number “229” using images of faces related to the Senate election collusion as a symbol, concluding with a declaration: “Down with dictatorship, collapse the Senate collusion, prosecute all 229.”