On 8 April 2008, Pol Lt Wattanasak Mungkitjakarndee, Investigation Officer of Bang Mot Police Station, seconded to Phaholyothin Police Station met Pol Maj Boonlert Kalayanamit, Investigation Officer at the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), to file lèse majesté charges under Article 112 of the Criminal Code against Mr. Jonathan Head, BBC reporter and member of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) committee.

Mr. Head made the opening remarks as moderator of a seminar entitled “Coup, Capital and Crown” on 13 December 2007 at the Conference Room of the FCCT, in the Maneeya Building, Ploenchit Road.

Pol Lt Wattanasak brought with him a copy of a CD recorded at the seminar together with an English script and a Thai translation as evidence. The investigating officer initially accepted the documents to be passed on to his superiors for further examination.

Pol Lt Wattanasak in an interview said that he heard about the seminar from a foreign friend. He later asked for a copy of the CD from the FCCT. After the speech was translated in Thai, he found out that the words used fall under the lèse majesté law. As a Thai citizen he saw it as improper therefore decided to file a criminal charge.

“I want to verify that there are no politics involved in this. This is personal issue which I have worked on all by myself and am really ready to fight the case in court if counter charges are filed against me”, said Pol Lt Wattanasak. 

Regarding the procedures, Pol Lt Wattanasak said that his role is over since he has given the documents and CD to the investigating officer. It is now his task to send the evidence to the International Affairs Division of the Royal Thai Police for translation once more. If it is seen to be under the scope of wrongdoings, Mr. Head will have to be summoned for future proceedings according to the law. 

Pol Maj Boonlert Kalayanamit, the Investigating Officer who received the case, said that he will bring the case forward to his commander with the option of establishing an investigating committee since this is an important case. He will send the evidence that the complainant supplied to the International Affairs Division of the Royal Thai Police to translate it into Thai again. Academics in the field of linguistics will be asked to see if the words and phrases constitute violations of the relevant article.