Kowit Phothisan, The Isaan Record’s editor, has been sued for defamation by Deputy Prime Minister Suchart Chomklin over a Facebook post he shared. The post was originally written by The Isaan Record’s editor-in-chief Hathairat Phaholtap, whom Suchart previously sued over a report alleging that Thai politicians have been taking bribes from a former executive of a Finnish berry-picking company.

According to The Isaan Record, Kowit received a summons from the Chonburi Provincial Court on Sunday (29 March). The lawsuit was filed by Suthat Phutthawanasak on behalf of Suchart Chomklin, who sued Kowit for defamation seeking one million baht in damages.

The complaint stated that Kowit shared Hathairat’s Facebook post, which was defamatory and damaged Suchart’s reputation.

Kowit also wrote his own messages in the Facebook share, saying that “I would tell Suchart Chomklin that we are not a local media outlet. We are an international news outlet that bridges the global and the local. We have entered an era in which the internet has torn down the boundaries of “local” or “urban”, which was defined merely by an organisation’s physical location. We have worked across almost the whole world, including in Finland, a country you are familiar with.”

Kowit argued that his message merely discussed the changing media landscape and explained how The Isaan Record operated, and asked the question of how the content caused damage to Suchart.

He said this was obviously a SLAPP lawsuit used to target reporters and activists, asserting that the government should instead urgently investigate and clarify the human trafficking case involving Thai berry pickers so that they can receive compensation.

“Delayed justice is not only injustice, but it also means mounting interest payments while they still do not know how they will be compensated by the Thai government. Instead of rushing to solve this problem, the government filed lawsuits to silence reporters, which is deeply disappointing,” said Kowit.

Previously, Hathairat also received a summons on 21 March for defamation over her Facebook post between 26 January – 11 February. The document noted that one post contained a report from The Isaan Record’s Facebook page along with the caption “Presenting evidence of politicians taking bribes from Berry Finland Co.” She was also sued for 50 million baht in damages.

Regarding Hathairat’s case, several media outlets reported that Suchart planned to withdraw the lawsuit against Hathairat on 23 March. He claimed he did not want to sue journalists but was told by his lawyer that the posts were made during the election campaign period and could affect his campaign. He said that his lawyer filed the lawsuit before the election, but he has ordered the lawyer to withdraw the lawsuit because the election is now over and Hathairat’s post contained information that the DSI sent to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

However, Hathairat said she has yet to see the withdrawal document.

The lawsuit stemmed from an investigative report, released by The Isaan Record, citing a statement from sources in the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) that Thai politicians have taken 36 million baht in bribes from a former executive of a Finnish berry company. 

The DSI said in January 2024 that it is prosecuting former ministers and senior executives of the Ministry of Labour for accepting bribes and involvement in trafficking Thai workers to Finland. The case was referred to the DSI by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after it worked with the Thai Embassy in Helsinki to assist Thai berry pickers who legally came to work in Finland but fell victim to human trafficking.

Evidence from several parties revealed a conspiracy involving politicians, government officials and others. Despite having no authority, they sought benefits from Thai agencies that recruited Thai workers for Finland. The benefits in question were processing fees, which were around 3,000 baht per person, which the agencies required the workers to pay in addition to the actual expenses.

The DSI stated that in 2020-2023, approximately 12,000 Thai workers had to pay this additional fee, totalling around 36 million baht. As a result, the DSI decided to prosecute the four figures and will submit the case to the Office of the NACC for further action.

Soon after the DSI broke the news about the case, Suchart sued three senior DSI officials for misconduct over the press conference. He claimed that he was being harassed and that the DSI never summoned him to provide his testimony. It also held the press conference several months after the case was forwarded to the NACC.

Suchart came under fire during the censure debate in March 2025 over alleged links to human trafficking. People’s Party MP Sahassawat Kumkong questioned his qualifications in light of the human trafficking allegations, involving the exploitation of Thai workers picking berries in Finland and Sweden. At the time, Suchart was the Labour Minister.