A man named Suttawee “Bang-urn” Soikham, aged 26, has been sentenced to eight months in jail without suspension for vandalizing the wall of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha last year. He was caught by two police officers spray-painting an anarchist symbol and the number 112, representing Section 112 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to the lese-majeste law, on the temple wall within the Grand Palace compound in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district. Suttawee, a native of Khon Kaen, has appealed the Criminal Court ruling and has been granted bail.
Accompanied by a lawyer, Suttawee appeared at the court on Thursday where he received the verdict. Despite being initially sentenced to one year in jail for violating the Ancient Monuments, Antique Objects and National Museum Act and Cleanliness Act, his confession led the court to commute the sentence to eight months without suspension.
Additionally, the article mentions that two journalists present during the incident have pending cases against them. Nattaphon Phanphongsanon, a freelance news photographer, and Nuttaphol Meksobhon, a reporter for Prachatai, were at the scene but claimed they were merely doing their jobs and were not involved in the vandalism act. Police had CCTV footage showing the journalists and the artist allegedly “planning” the vandalism, but without audio, the content of the discussion in the video remains unclear.
