The Prime Minister’s twin daughters are suing more than 100 people for allegedly posting defamatory comments about them on social media.
Lawyer Apiwat Khanthong on Wednesday lodged a defamation lawsuit with Nang Loeng police on behalf of Thanya and Nittha Chan-o-cha.
He said the twins had hired him to take legal action against more than 100 social media accounts, particularly on Twitter, for libel under the Criminal Code and for breaching the Computer Crime Act. It is unclear who tracked down the accounts.
Mr Khanthong said police would also consider whether some politicians had supported the crime by sharing the defamatory information.
His clients were insisting the offenders be brought to justice and would not settle for anything less.
The lawyer added Gen Chan-o-cha had had nothing to do with the filing of the lawsuit.
He also listed and rejected claims in several posts.
For example, he dismissed a claim the twins had switched to their mother’s surname in order to escape a case involving alleged money-laundering against Gen Chan-o-cha.
A claim that Gen Chan-o-cha transferred money to their foreign bank account was also groundless, Mr Khanthong said.
Gen Chan-o-cha transferred money to his twin daughters in 2013, the lawyer said, and this was listed in an assets declaration which was submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission in 2014 when Gen Chan-o-cha assumed the post of Prime Minister.
The money came from the sale of a land plot which belonged to Gen Chan-o-cha’s father, Col Phat Chan-o-cha.
Refuting a further claim the twins had failed their master’s degree exam, Mr Khanthong said they had never pursued master’s degrees and had never failed an exam.
He also dismissed a report that the twins lived in a UK mansion bought for them by a wealthy tycoon. They have never stayed for long periods in foreign countries, Mr Khanthong said.
In fact, the last time they visited the UK was in 2015, when they travelled on tourist visas and stayed at a hotel.
Mr Khanthong also said the twins had no social media accounts and never posted photos on such platforms because they wanted to maintain their privacy and prevent anyone from using their names for personal gain.
Speaking in Sukhothai on Wednesday, Gen Chan-o-cha said his twin daughters had come of age and had the right to protect their reputation.
