A 44-year-old man has been charged with royal defamation, sedition, and defamation by publication for commenting on a Facebook post made by activist Promsorn Veerathamjaree.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported that Direk (last name withheld), a grilled pork vendor, was summoned to report to the police in Phatthalung on Thursday (5 August) to hear charges of royal defamation, sedition, defamation by publication, and violation of the Computer Crimes Act.

The charges resulted from a complaint filed by Songchai Niamhom, leader of the ultra-royalist King Protection Group, who claimed that Direk made a comment on Promsorn’s Facebook post which mentioned King Vajiralongkorn.

According to TLHR, members of the King Protection Group have filed at least 11 royal defamation complaints at several police stations in the southern provinces.

Direk denied all charges. He was then questioned about the Facebook account and comment, his own history, and his relationship with Promsorn, before being released without being required to file for bail.

Direk told TLHR that he is from Kanchanaburi but now lives in Bangkok, where he sells grilled pork after quitting his job working on a film crew. He said he has no family except for a cat and is not very concerned about being charged with royal defamation.

Promsorn is also facing a royal defamation charge for the Facebook post, which criticizes ultra-royalist groups, bringing the number of royal defamation charges against him to 6. TLHR said that Promsorn reported to the police in Phattalung on 22 August to hear charges of royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act after Songchai filed a complaint against him, claiming that the post defames the King.