The national police chief has accused a university lecturer of defamation for speaking at a public forum about the police force.
On 6 July 2017, Sungsidh Piriyarangsan, Dean of the College of Social Innovation of Rangsit University, was summoned to Lumphini Police Station in Bangkok to listen to charges against him.
Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police (RTP) accused Sungsidh together with Pol Col Virut Sirisawatdibut, former Deputy Commander of Chainat provincial police, of defamation for speaking at a public discussion “What is the Use of the Police?”.
The forum was organised by the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand and was held at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Bangkok, on 26 January 2017.
If proven guilty he could be imprisoned for up to two years and fined for up to 200,000 baht or both.
At the police station, Sungsidh denied the accusation, saying that he offered honest critical comments about the police reform without making references to any individual police officer at the forum.
He said that according to the previous Supreme Court’s ruling a person cannot be held liable for defaming an organisation, but only individuals, adding that police reform is one of the objectives of the government written in the 2017 Constitution.
In a separate case, the police chief also filed a complaint to Pathumwan Police Station in Bangkok against Wittaya Kaewparadai, former member of the National Reform Steering Assembly.
He is accused of defaming the RTP for speaking about allegations of position buying within the police force in the TV programme of Spring News called ‘Inside Thailand’ on 13 June 2017.
Sungsidh Piriyarangsan (central) at a public discussion “What is the Use of the Police?” held at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Bangkok, on January 26 (Photo from Anti-Corruption Thailand Facebook page)