PP chief defends Rukchanok

People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut defended party-list MP Rukchanok Srinork after she shared an allegedly fake bank transfer slip purporting to show a 7-million-baht payment to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

The slip, circulated by the Facebook page Godd Dam and subsequently shared by Ms Rukchanok on social media, showed Mr Anutin as the alleged recipient and was accompanied by a claim that the money was a "tea money" payment.

Mr Anutin reportedly authorised his personal lawyer to lodge the complaint at Thong Lor police station on Wednesday, after the page operator, identified as Chairat Rekhawatthana, 26, was arrested on Monday while denying wrongdoing.

Mr Natthaphong said on Friday that politicians should understand that public figures are open to criticism and that scrutiny of the opposition's performance is normal. "I do not want to see legal action being used to silence critics, although the prime minister has the right to seek legal action," he said.

Asked about criticism that the post shared by Ms Rukchanok was not intended as fact-checking, Mr Natthaphong said she appeared to have exercised caution and noted that the matter would proceed under the law.

Meanwhile, Mr Chairat denied wrongdoing and refused to answer further questions during questioning in the presence of a lawyer from the Human Rights Lawyers Centre.

The questioning was video-recorded as evidence, a source close to the investigation said.

Investigators are expanding the case after finding what they described as important evidence indicating that others may have been involved, the source said.

Investigators and police from the Special Branch Bureau have approached the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau to obtain information. They plan to seek court approval for additional arrest warrants related to national security offences.

Mr Chairat, who joined the now-dissolved Move Forward Party in 2023, has an interest in cyber security and previously worked for several leading IT companies, according to the source.