Chai Ratchawat reports to police
Published: 24 Jun 2013 at 11.37Online news:
Thai Rath cartoonist Somchai Katanyutanant, better known by his pseudonym Chai Rachawat, reported to Metropolitan Police Division 1 on Monday morning to hear defamation charges filed against him by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
A large number of people turned up at the Metropolitan Police headquarters to give him moral support.The Thai Rath cartoonist posted a comment on his Facebook page on April 30 criticising the prime minister after she delivered a speech on democracy in Mongolia.
His comment prompted prime minister's lawyer Norawich Lalaeng to lay a complaint against Chai on May 3, charging him with three counts - insulting an official during an official event, defamation via publicity, and violating the Computer Crimes Act, which prohibits posting defamatory comments about others on the Internet.
On Sunday, Chai Rachawat posted on his Facebook page that he would at 10am Monday report to the Metropolitan Police.
He said he hope there would not be any untoward incident to bar him from doing so. A high-ranking police officer had threatened him through the media, saying if he did not report a warrant would be issued for his arrest, Chai said.
He wrote that since begining his career as a journalist during the Oct 14, 1973 bloodshed, and having experienced several military coups, there had not been a secret or open threat against him like this one.
He insisted on standing firm to the comment he earlier posted on his Facebook page.
Chai urged the complainant to fight the case in court with facts, not by twisting his comment as being insulting to a particular woman.