A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to prison for royal defamation over a 2021 post on X (formerly Twitter) about King Vajiralongkorn. He was later given a one-year suspended sentence on the grounds that he had never participated in any political protests.

Natthaphon (last name withheld) face charges under royal defamation law and Computer Crimes Act . filed at the Kho Hong Police Station, Songkhla Province, by Songchai Niamhom, leader of the ultra-royalist King Protection Group, which is active in the southern provinces. Members of the group are reported to have filed complaints, especially royal defamation charges, against several people, including a former Move Forward Party MP.

Natthaphon, who resides in Bangkok, travelled to the province to acknowledge the charges on 23 August 2023 where he denied all allegations. On 18 June, he was indicted. The indictment stated that on 19 August 2021, the defendant posted on his public account, “I heard it when I was a kid, a teacher gossiped about it. It turns out it is true,” and he also retweeted a post containing an image of the King before his ascension to the throne, with a defamatory message towards the King.

The Songkhla Provincial Court later granted him bail with 150,000 baht as security. Natthaphon decided to plead guilty during  witness examination on 20 August.

The court on 1 October ruled that Natthaphon was guilty as charged, and his action constituted multiple offences. He was imprisoned under the royal defamation law, which carries the heaviest penalty. The court sentenced him to three years in prison, but due to his guilty plea, the sentence was reduced to one year and six months.

However, according to the police report, it was found that after the incident, the defendant submitted a petition requesting a royal pardon, and also expressed remorse for his action. In addition, he had never participated in political protests or any activities opposing the democratic regime with the King as head of state.

Natthaphon was given a one-year suspension. He was required to report to a probation officer four times during the suspension period and perform 24 hours of social service.