Thai Court Acquits 'Three-Finger' Activists of Lese Majeste Charges

A SPLINTER group of adolescent, three-finger-raising activists were today (July 6) exonerated by court of lese majeste and mass seduction charges in regard to a questionnaire which they had evidently conducted in regard to royal motorcades running on Bangkok’s congested streets four years ago. The Bangkok Criminal Court waived a public prosecutor’s lawsuit earlier filed against seven street activists led by a young woman named Thantawan Tuatulanond who had peacefully conducted their poll with a number of passers-by outside Paragon shopping mall in Pathumwan district of the Thai capital during the time of former coup leader-turned-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in February 2022. The court ruled the unprecedented poll which literally asked the respondents whether royal motorcades could probably put them in trouble traffic-wise irrelevant to the lese majeste law, better known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or the mass seduction law and consequently judged the defendants not guilty of those charges since none of the Royal Household members was mentioned by name in the activists’ questionnaire. Besides, the court judged the noticeable hand signal made by Thantawan and her colleagues to demonstrate a three-finger salute during a peaceful, public gathering was by no means deemed an act of persuasion which could have possibly otherwise triggered rebellion. However, each of the seven defendants was ordered by court to pay 5,000 baht in fine for violating orders of the authorities pertaining to their street activism. The splinter group had been previously detained and then released with ankle bracelets earlier this year. If found guilty of lese majeste charges, the convict could possibly otherwise be sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison and if found guilty of mass seduction charges, they could possibly otherwise be sentenced to a maximum of seven years in jail. In Thailand and elsewhere, the three-finger gesture may specifically symbolise mass resistance to military coups and undemocratic rule. Ms. Thantawan Tuatulanond who together with six other street activists were acquitted today, July 6. 2026. Photos – Amarin TV Also read: Conflict of interest emerges between Anutin and Newin Hua Hin Airport upgrade and direct flights to Kuala Lumpur gets in gear Justice Minister reproached for avoiding House inquiry into senatorial rigging scandals Pawoot found to have used payment service of illegally operating firm Pawoot not calling it quits as People’s MP over suspected forex scam Ekniti embellishes govt’s economic projects with invisible ‘plus’ Bellingham powers 10-man England past Mexico, into World Cup quarters Norway stun Brazil 2-1 to reach World Cup quarter-finals 2 Chinese members of surrogacy ring nabbed in Pattaya Hoodie suspect who delivered heroin to flight attendant nabbed PRIME MINISTER Anutin Charnvirakul said today (Nov. 5) that the ancient Prasat Ta Khwai temple is within Thai territory but the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) is resolving all outstanding issues, Amarin TV said. He pointed out that he has clearly stated Thai territory must be protected above all else. Regarding influencers organising a […] PROTEST leader Parit Chivarak, or Penguin, and three other activists were today (Sept. 12) sentenced to two months in jail and fined a total of 11,300 baht each for holding a rally in front of Bang Khen police station in 2020 but this was suspended for one year while three others were only fined, Matichon […] By Thai Newsroom Reporters NEWLY-ELECTED SENATOR Premsak Piayura alleged today (July 12) a certain political party was quietly attempting to “recruit” a number of his colleagues to covertly get under their umbrella. Without naming names, Premsak said many among the total 200 newly-elected senators who are constitutionally obliged to be practically independent of political […] Click to buy a tablet Click to buy a watch for men Click to buy a watch for women Click to buy a stationery set Thai Newsroom earns a commission from affiliate links Veteran US journalist laments the Lost Horizons of Asia and America Entitle “Lost Horizons”, this book written by veteran newsman Denis Gray, former Bangkok Bureau chief of the Associated Press, is a captivating history spanning 50 years of change. Exquisite 3-bedroom condo for sale at Bang Na Country Complex Exceptional 133.62 SqM penthouse condo with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms is available for sale. It is part of the Bangna Country Complex project in Bang Na, Bangkok, and you can buy it for ฿6,180,000 (฿46,251/SqM). It is also available for long term rental starting from ฿28,000 per month. Click for details We’re not actually going to use this for coffee! All ‘coffee’ donations go towards funding Thainewsroom.com which is being kept afloat by fast-dwindling funds of a veteran journalist. The content is free and your contributions will help us continue our independent reporting. You can transfer money directly to our Kasikorn bank account number 639-2-06487-5 Sincere thanks! Farmers in a parched district of Kanchanaburi province have started getting good income after switching from cassava to Okinawa Purple sweet potatoes. Watch Thai Newsroom’s summary of local and foreign news and news video clips attached at the end of some of our reports.