<p>Overriding the decision of prosecutors to drop charges, police in the Deep South have decided to press ahead with the prosecution of the outspoken niece of a draftee who was tortured to death. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>On 16 March 2017, Naritsarawan Kaewnopparat, the niece of&nbsp;<a href="http://prachatai.org/english/node/5524">Wichian Puaksom</a>, a military conscript who was tortured to death by other soldiers in 2011, submitted a letter to the Office of the Attorney-General at the Government Complex in Bangkok to call for justice.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A police officer has accused a member of the anti-establishment red shirt of defamation after he posted comments to complain about having his house searched without a court warrant.</p> <p>On 15 March 2017, Boribun Kiangwarangkun, a member of a red shirt group in Ban Pong District of Ratchaburi Province,<a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=3732"> reported to the local police station</a> in the district to listen to accusations against him.</p>

<p>The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has filed defamation lawsuits against people accusing it of causing environmental destruction. &nbsp;</p> <p>On 13 March 2017, Pranee Tangseree, Assistant Governor of EGAT’s Legal Affairs Bureau, revealed that&nbsp;<a href="http://energynewscenter.com/index.php/news/detail/647">EGAT had filed 15 complaints</a>&nbsp;to the police against people posting content on social media accusing its power plants of pollution leading to sickness and death.</p>

<p>The Thai military has dropped criminal defamation charges against three human rights defenders who exposed torture in Thailand’s Deep South.</p> <p>On 7 March 2017, Col Pramote Promin, Deputy Spokesperson for Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4, said the military has withdrawn criminal defamation charges against Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Director of the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF); Somchai Homla-or, Advisor to the CrCF; and Anchana Heemmina, President of the Duay Jai group.</p>

<p>A well-known British correspondent with the BBC could face up to five years imprisonment for reporting on a fraud case on the famous resort island of Phuket.&nbsp;</p> <p>On 23 February 2017, the Provincial Court of Phuket held a deposition hearing on a criminal defamation case against Jonathan Head, the BBC’s Southeast Asia correspondent. He is also charged under Article 14 of the 2007 Computer Crime Act.</p> <p>The British journalist faces charges for a report about two foreign retirees who alleged that they were scammed out of their properties in Phuket by Thai women they married.</p>

<p>Human rights defenders accused by the military of criminal defamation for exposing torture in the Deep South have urged prosecutors to seek more witnesses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>On 21 February 2017, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Director of the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF); Somchai Homla-or, Advisor to the CrCF; and Anchana Heemmina, President of the Duay Jai group,<a href="http://news.voicetv.co.th/thailand/463767.html">&nbsp;submitted a letter to the Office of Provincial Public Prosecution </a>in the Deep South province of Pattani.</p>

<p>The Thai police chief has filed criminal defamation charges against speakers at a discussion critical of the police force.</p> <p>On 14 February 2017, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), authorized Pol Col Worawit Yanchinda, Acting Superintendent of the Directorate of Metropolitan Police Bureau, to file a legal complaint against Sungsidh Piriyarangsan, Dean of the College of Social Innovation of Rangsit University, and Pol Col Virut Sirisawatdibut, former Deputy Commander of Chainat provincial police.</p>

<p>The administrators of a famous political and social satire Facebook page have been accused of criminal defamation and violation of the Computer Crime Act.</p> <p>On 26 January 2017, Atchariya Rueangratanapong, President of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Helpcrimevictimclub/">Help Crime Victim Club</a>, filed a legal complaint against the administrators of the political and social satire Facebook page called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DramaAdd/">‘Drama-addict’&nbsp;</a>at Phra Pradaeng Police Station in Samut Prakan Province.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Public prosecutors have dropped defamation charges against <a href="http://prachatai.org/english/node/6811">Naritsarawan ‘May’ Keawnopparat</a>, Prachatai’s Person of the Year 2016.</p> <p>On 24 January 2017, Naritsarawan told <a href="http://www.bbc.com/thai/thailand-38727957">the BBC Thai</a> that the Director-General of the 9th region Public Prosecutor’s Office and prosecutors of Narathiwat Province dropped accusations under the Computer Crime Act and Criminal Defamation against her.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A criminal court has handed a two-year suspended jail term to a witness of Thailand’s<a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/category/april-may-2010-political-violence"> April-May 2010 political violence</a> accused of defaming the Thai Army. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">On 8 December 2016, the Criminal Court of Thailand sentenced Thanaporn (surname withheld due to privacy concerns) to two years of imprisonment with a 100,000 baht fine, according to <a href="https://freedom.ilaw.or.th/case/648#progress_of_case">iLaw</a>. The court suspended the jail term for two years.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A criminal court has dismissed defamation and computer crime charges against anti-mine activists.</p> <p dir="ltr">On 29 November 2016, the Southern Criminal Court of Bangkok read the verdict on a lawsuit filed by Akara Resources against Somlak Hutanuwatr and Smit (surname withheld due to privacy concerns), according to<a href="https://www.facebook.com/iLawClub/posts/10157772579655551"> iLaw</a>. &nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">Embattled Thai human rights activists insist their innocence as they continue to fight against lawsuits filed by the military.</p>