People’s Party’s MP Charged with Lese-majeste

Appeals Court Region 4 Reverses Verdict, Sentences "Toto Piyarat," People's Party MP, to 3 Years in Prison over Lese-Majeste and Computer Crimes Act Case for Posting Signs Criticizing COVID-19 Vaccine in Kalasin; Defendant Avoids Jail After Securing 300,000 Baht Bail in Supreme Court, Revealing He Fought the Case Without the Opportunity to Present Defense Witness Testimony.

On May 20, 2026, at the Kalasin Provincial Court, the verdict of the Appeals Court Region 4 was read in a case where Mr. Piyarat Chongthep, widely known as "Toto"—a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bangkok representing the People's Party and former leader of the WeVo activist group—was the defendant. He faced charges under Article 112 of the Criminal Code (Lese-Majeste) and the Computer Crimes Act, stemming from the installation of vinyl banners criticizing the government’s alleged monopoly on COVID-19 vaccines on the Yang Talat-Kalasin Road in 2021. While the Court of First Instance had previously acquitted Mr. Piyarat in October 2024, the Appeals Court Region 4 reversed the lower court's decision this round, sentencing him to 3 years in prison without probation.

Reasoning of Appeals Court Region 4: Tight Circumstantial Evidence Confirms Defendant’s Involvement

In reviewing the case, the Appeals Court Region 4 ruled on the appeal submitted by the public prosecutor (the plaintiff). The court acknowledged that although no eyewitnesses directly saw the defendant hanging the banners, the circumstantial evidence and forensic data were significantly interconnected. The key points included:

• Vehicles Used in the Offense: A police investigation analyzing CCTV footage revealed a pickup truck carrying the banners and Mr. Piyarat’s van driving closely behind one another, with a time gap of only about 4 minutes. The pickup truck in question was registered under the name of Mr. Piyarat’s mother and had previously been used in political activities. Consequently, the court believed the vehicle was under the possession and control of the defendant.
• Social Media Connection: Shortly after the incident, the X (formerly Twitter) account of the “We Volunteer” group and Mr. Piyarat’s personal Facebook page simultaneously posted photos of the banners, alongside a post demanding the return of the banners seized by the police. The court noted that the Facebook page explicitly featured Mr. Piyarat’s photos as its profile and cover images, and its historical posts consistently featured political expressions and satirical commentary toward the monarchy.
• Suspicious Conduct: The court reasoned that without the defendant’s permission or complicity, no one would have been able to use both his personal vehicle and his social media accounts to make such posts. Furthermore, the defendant’s failure to present witnesses to counter the allegations in court left his defense lacking weight.

Based on these findings, the Appeals Court Region 4 ruled that ordinary citizens reading the messages on the banners would understand that His Majesty King Rama X held a monopoly on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines. This was deemed defaming, insulting, and damaging to the King's reputation and honor, while also constituting the introduction of data affecting national security into a computer system. The court therefore reversed the prior judgment and sentenced him to 3 years in prison (dismissing the request to count consecutive terms). The panel of judges for this case consisted of Mr. Surachan Poolsawat, Mr. Witoon Wimolset, and Mr. Preecha Phanthachai.

Narrowly Secures Bail for 300,000 Baht with Conditions Prohibiting International Travel

Immediately after the reading of the verdict, the defense legal team submitted an urgent request for temporary release pending an appeal to the Supreme Court. The petition highlighted crucial grounds: Mr. Piyarat currently serves as an active Member of Parliament with direct responsibilities to the citizens, and throughout the entire legal process, the defendant demonstrated good faith by never attempting to flee or missing a court appointment. Furthermore, if Mr. Piyarat were to be imprisoned, his MP status would be terminated immediately under the constitution, which would effectively decide his political future before the case reaches a final, absolute conclusion.

Subsequently, at 12:20 PM, the Kalasin Provincial Court granted the request for temporary release during the Supreme Court appeal phase. Bail was set at 300,000 Baht using securities, coupled with a strict condition prohibiting him from traveling out of the Kingdom. As a result, Mr. Piyarat was released temporarily today and avoided being sent to prison.

A Look Back at the 2021 Vaccine Sign Case and Observations on the "One-Sided Trial"

The catalyst for this case traces back to January 23, 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the public was fiercely questioning the government's vaccine procurement policies. A group of individuals placed 7 vinyl banners criticizing the vaccine monopoly on the median strip of the Yang Talat-Kalasin Road before photographs of the signs were captured and distributed across online social networks. Later, authorities pressed charges against Mr. Piyarat while he was already detained in a separate case at the Bangkok Remand Prison, and prosecutors officially indicted him in June 2021.

Later on, the Kalasin Provincial Court (the Court of First Instance) dismissed the case in October 2024, citing reasonable doubts in the prosecution's evidence and noting the factual detail that while the Facebook page was posting the messages, Mr. Piyarat was physically locked inside prison. However, the prosecutor appealed the acquittal, leading to the prison sentence handed down today.

Nevertheless, a vital observation remains regarding the judicial process in this case: the court had ordered the "cancellation of the defense witness examination."

This occurred after Mr. Piyarat had requested multiple postponements due to his mandatory attendance at parliamentary sessions, coupled with urgent obligations faced by his defense attorney. As a result, this appellate review was evaluated based entirely on the evidence and case file presented by the prosecution's side alone, as the court rejected the defense's subsequent motion requesting a revocation of the cancellation order.

For "Toto Piyarat," the path of fighting Lese-Majeste charges is far from over. This case in Kalasin Province is the first out of three total cases against him where the Appeals Court reversed an initial acquittal to hand down a prison sentence (all three cases were originally dismissed by the Courts of First Instance). The remaining two cases—one involving a speech at the #KidsSpeakAdultsListen rally handled by the Ubon Ratchathani Provincial Court, and another involving a post criticizing police for cracking down on WeVo’s shrimp-selling event handled by the Criminal Court—are still awaiting verdicts at the appellate level.