Speaking at a press conference at the Ratsada Municipality office today (July 15), Mr Jirayus, accompanied by senior legal officer Chayapha Thanirat and members of the municipal executive committee, said the municipality had begun legal proceedings over a series of online posts.
According to Mr Jirayus, the posts falsely claimed that he was involved in illegal gambling activities, including operating a casino and accepting football bets.
The posts also alleged that the administrators of popular Facebook pages had been appointed to positions within the municipality, including as an adviser to the mayor and as a deputy mayor.
Mr Jirayus said the allegations were entirely false and had harmed his reputation, credibility and ability to perform his duties as mayor.
He said he had instructed the municipality’s legal officers to gather evidence and submit the matter to the relevant authorities to allow legal proceedings to move forward.
Mr Jirayus said he was exercising his legal rights to protect his reputation and public image.
Ratsada Municipality urged the public to rely on information from credible sources and to allow the matter to be resolved through the judicial process while respecting the rights of all parties until the case is concluded.