Police to question Chai over 'defamation' of PM
Police have issued a summons for cartoonist Chai Ratchawat, aka Somchai Katanyutanont, to appear for questioning in connection with allegations he defamed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in comments on his Facebook page relating to a speech she made in
Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy chief Pol Maj-General Anuchai Lekbamrung, the chief investigator in the case, said his team met and decided that the allegation against Chai is founded and that the cartoonist would be summoned to give a statement at 10am on June 5.
Anuchai said investigators have gathered evidence and taken circumstantial testimony from lawyers, linguists, academics and professionals in other related fields, all of whom agreed that Chai’s Facebook post damaged Yingluck’s reputation.
Chai posted photographs of Yingluck delivering the speech in Mongolia with the caption: "Please understand that whores are not bad women. Whores only sell their bodies, but a bad woman has been wandering around trying to sell the country."
Anuchai said any decision by police on whether to press charges against Chai based on Yingluck’s allegations would depend on his statement and how he defends himself. Chai faces three counts: insulting an official during an official event; defaming another person via publicity; and violating the Computer-Related Crimes Act, which prohibits posting defamatory comments against others on the Internet.
