20-9-2023 (BANGKOK) The Supreme Court has handed down a lifetime ban on former Move Forward Party MP Pannika Wanich from participating in politics. The ban comes as a consequence of a picture she posted online 13 years ago, which was deemed disrespectful to the monarchy. Pannika’s lawyer, Krissadang Nutcharat, confirmed the court’s decision, stating that she was found guilty of breaching ethical standards expected of a person holding a political position, according to media reports.
While the court has prohibited Pannika from running in any future elections and assuming any political roles, it has not stripped her of the right to vote. The reason being that she was not proven to have rejected the constitutional monarchy.
This is not the first time Pannika has faced political restrictions. She was already subject to a 10-year ban imposed on 16 executives of the Future Forward Party when the Constitutional Court dissolved the party in February 2020 due to a violation of funding regulations.
Pannika, who served as the spokesperson for Future Forward, was considered one of the party’s key figures, alongside Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and Piyabutr Saengkanokkul. Following the ban, the trio established the Progressive Movement as a policy think-tank affiliated with the new Move Forward Party. They also played prominent roles as “campaign assistants” leading up to the general election on May 14, in which Move Forward secured the highest number of seats.
The complaint that led to the recent court ruling was initiated by Srisuwan Janya, a prolific petitioner, in June 2019. Srisuwan discovered certain posts in Pannika’s social media history and brought them to the attention of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
The NACC accused Pannika of breaching ethical standards while serving as an MP, alleging that she failed to remove the material or block public access to it. Consequently, the NACC sought a ruling from the Supreme Court.
The court case revolved around pictures posted on Pannika’s Facebook account, “Pannika Chor Wanich” (Chor being her nickname), in 2010. The Supreme Court ruled that her behavior expressed disrespect for the monarchy, a sacred institution that must be protected in accordance with Section 6 of the Constitution and the related subsection on ethical standards.
According to the court, Pannika’s posts demonstrated her intention to inappropriately refer to King Rama IX and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Furthermore, even after being elected as an MP, she retained the inappropriate content on her Facebook account and allowed public access to it, which the court deemed disrespectful towards the royal institution.
Following the initial disclosure by Srisuwan, Pannika issued an apology to those who were offended by her Facebook post. At the time, she expressed discomfort with the “unconstructive conversations” and the use of hateful language that the picture had triggered on social media. She was 22 years old when the picture was taken, depicting her and her university classmates making an inappropriate gesture in front of portraits of King Rama IX.
Move Forward MP Bencha Saengchantra expressed disappointment with the severity of the Supreme Court ruling. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “The 2560 (2017) Constitution establishes the moral framework for judging ethical wrongdoing. Criminal penalties should be dealt with accordingly. But the deprivation of political rights is the most severe infringement on basic rights.”
In May of this year, the Criminal Court acquitted Pannika of a violation of the Computer Crime Act related to other Facebook posts she made in 2013 and 2014. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society had filed a complaint regarding poems she had posted about the Ayudhya Kingdom, which it argued might cause fear for the royal institution.
