MP Chalermpong arrived at Phuket City Police Station with his legal counsel, Nitat Prasertnetikul, at 10am to submit the complaint to an investigating officer.
The case involves allegations of criminal defamation, potentially under Sections 326 or 328 of the Thai Criminal Code, which address defamation communicated to third parties, including through advertising or online posts.
The complaint specifically targets two Facebook pages that use the same moniker ‘State Media, Breaking News’ (สื่อรัฐ เจาะข่าวเด็ด), which Mr Chalermpong accuses of spreading false and defamatory statements about him. (See Facebook pages here and here.)
Among the serious claims made online were accusations that he is a “servant dog of the Chinese mafia", and accusing MP Chalermpong of “promoting a large number of Chinese mafia, setting themselves up as foreign mafia gangs” and being a “nominee for foreign mafia gangs and capitalists”.
“These accusations are completely baseless and intended solely to damage my political credibility and destroy the public’s trust in me,” MP. Chalermpong said. “They aim to mislead the people and discredit my work as a representative of the people.”
Mr Chalermpong defended his record in Parliament, stating that over the past two years he has worked tirelessly to bring forward issues affecting the people of Phuket ‒ ranging from infrastructure and public services to broader societal concerns. He noted that all of his activities and parliamentary interventions are publicly documented on his Facebook page.
“I have never remained indifferent to the suffering of the people. My intention is to create change, raise awareness, and push for long-standing problems to be addressed,” he said. “These attacks are not just aimed at me, but at the democratic process and the people’s voice that I represent.”
The MP emphasised that he would pursue legal action to protect his integrity and continue serving his constituents. “No matter how much you try to discredit me, I will stand with the people. I will never destroy the hope and faith they have placed in me.”
The case is now under police investigation.