The Administrative Court yesterday dismissed a lawsuit accusing the Royal Thai Army (RTA) of conducting information operations (IO) to discredit people with differing political views.
The case, filed in March 2021 by independent academic Sarinee Achavanuntakul, iLaw manager Yingcheep Atchanont and TV host Winyu Wongsurawat, was the first in Thai history in which citizens sued the military over alleged political IO campaigns.
After the ruling, Mr Yingcheep told reporters that both the panel of judges and the reporting judge agreed that five official documents submitted as evidence — which contained directives targeting political dissenters — appeared authentic, despite the army’s denials and its decision not to pursue forgery charges.
The court acknowledged the army’s involvement in online activities but ruled that interactions with the complainants could have been personal actions by individual officers, not official military operations. On that basis, the case was dismissed.
“We accept that this was a hard case to win, given the political climate. But the fact that the court acknowledged the documents as real is progress,” Mr Yingcheep said. “The army said they were fake, but the court said they were not.”
He added that while IO efforts may continue, the ruling confirmed that government agencies cannot legally use public funds for operations discrediting political opponents.
Ms Sarinee called the verdict a “milestone”, saying it clarified the distinction between public communication and information operations. She said she intends to appeal, arguing the official directives prove IO activities did exist. Mr Winyu also saw grounds for appeal, saying the ruling should encourage others facing online harassment to continue seeking accountability and justice.