A clothing vendor was arrested last Thursday (12 June) and charged with royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act over two Facebook posts, after a complaint was filed against him by members of an ultra-royalist group.

Kittipong Chuanwanpen (Photo from TLHR)

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported that Kittipong Chuanwanpen, 45, was arrested last Thursday (12 June) while at a restaurant in Bangkok. The arrest warrant was issued by a court in Surat Thani on 10 June. Kittipong did not receive a summons before being arrested.

Kittipong was held in police custody and taken to the Chai Buri Provincial Police Station in Surat Thani. He arrived on Friday morning (13 June) and was notified of his charges and questioned. He was then detained for another night at the police station before being taken to court on Saturday (14 June).

TLHR said that Kittipong was charged for two Facebook posts made in March and April 2025, in which he criticised ultra-royalists for not speaking out against the King’s trips to Germany. The complaint against him was filed by Songchai Niamhom, leader of the ultra-royalist King Protection Group, known for filing royal defamation complaints across the southern provinces. Most of those Songchai accused of royal defamation do not live in the provinces complaints against them were filed in, requiring them to travel long distances for police appointments and court hearings.

Kittipong was granted bail on a 100,000-baht security and released after 3 days and 2 nights in custody. He told TLHR that he is a clothing vendor and had just started working as a delivery rider for an online platform when he was arrested. He said that, while he was being transported to Surat Thani, the police did not allow him to contact a lawyer until Friday morning.

He said that he felt like he was being silenced. Having a complaint filed against him in another province means that he will have to carry the expense of traveling to police and court appointments, a high cost that means that his family cannot go with him. His mobile phones were also confiscated, which will affect his work as a rider.