Court upholds Promote's conviction in Thaksin defamation case
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The Appeals Court Friday upheld the Criminal Court's defamation conviction against columnist Pramote Nakhonthap, who wrote an article accusing former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of seeking to change the country's ruling system.
The Appeals Court agreed with the lower court’s finding that Promote defamed Thaksin and his nowdefunct Thai Rak Thai Party in an article headlined “Finland Strategy: Plan to change the country’s ruling system?” The article was published by The Manager Daily and on its website.
The court ruled that Pramote failed to produce any evidence to back up his allegation that Thaksin and Thai Rak Thai sought to change the country’s ruling system. Worse still, the court found, Pramote urged the public to turn against Thaksin and Thai Rak Thai in the April 2, 2006 election.
Earlier, the Criminal Court sentenced Pramote to one year in jail and a fine of Bt100,000. But the Appeals Court said Pramote had no criminal record, so the jail term was suspended for two years. He was ordered to publish an apology in five dailies for seven consecutive days.
The Appeals Court also acquitted Khunthong Lorseriwanit, the editor and publisher of Manager Daily at the time.
The Nation
