The Appeal Court has dismissed a royal defamation charge filed against Sirapat Deesawat, a Nonthaburi-based artist and musician charged with removing a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn from a housing estate entrance.

Sirapat was arrested on 10 August 2021 after Songsak Chantachot, a Prachachuen village chief, complained that a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn in a decorative golden frame was stolen from the entrance of a housing estate. A CCTV camera recorded the theft.

Sirapat was accused of removing the portrait and its frame and dragging both along the ground face down for about 190 metres. He was initially charged with theft and violation of a curfew imposed under the state of emergency, but was later summoned by the police and charged with royal defamation.

Kanokwan Chimnok, a graduate student, was also charged with receiving property because Sirapat allegedly gave the portrait to her before dumping the frame in a canal.

Sirapat confessed to charges of theft and curfew violation, but pleaded not guilty to royal defamation. The Nonthaburi Provincial Court ordered Sirapat tried in a closed-door session, but Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) noted that, during witness examination, observers were allowed in the courtroom when a member of the ultra-royalist group People’s Centre to Protect the Monarchy was testifying as a prosecution witness.

In June 2023, the Nonthaburi Provincial Court dismissed the royal defamation charge against Sirapat, but found him guilty of theft and curfew violations. It ruled that there is no evidence proving he was defaming the King by dragging the portrait on the ground. The Court believed that, since he acted alone and the framed portrait was heavy, dragging it was an act of theft and not an act of disrespect. He was sentenced to a total of 9 months in prison and a fine of 30,000 baht, suspended for 2 years. He was also required to do 36 hours of community service and subjected to 2 years of probation.

The Court also dismissed the charges against Kanokwan due to lack of evidence, and because the portrait was not found in her possession.

TLHR said that the Appeal Court ruled yesterday (11 December) to uphold the Nonthaburi Provincial Court’s ruling.