Name: Tiwagon Withiton (Age 47)
Occupation: Farmer
Case: Lèse Majesté (Article 112) and Computer Crimes Act (Article 14 (3)) from posting Facebook messages
Date of Imprisonment: 14 August 2024
Location of Imprisonment: Khon Kaen Special Correctional Institution

Tiwagon Withiton, a farmer from Khon Kaen, was accused of violation of Articles 112 and 116 of the Criminal Code and Article 14 of the Computer Crimes Act for wearing a T-shirt with the phrase “I no longer have faith in monarchies” and posting photos of doing so to Facebook. He also posted to demand the monarchy stop using Article 112 and to demand the release of four protest leaders of the Ratsadon Group in February 2021.

Prior to being charged, the name “Tiwagon Withiton” became well-known as a person who wore a T-shirt with screen printing of the phrase “I no longer have faith in monarchies”. The photos were posted in his personal Facebook account, “Tiwagorn Withiton”, and became his profile photo on 16 June 2020. It drew a lot of engagement from Facebook users.

Tiwagon posted to argue that the phrase “no longer have faith” did not mean “to topple monarchies”. Rather, it reflected his feeling of “no longer in love”, “no love lost”, a feeling which every human being should be able to express. Still, his candid expression toward the monarchy was something which was unacceptable to the Thai state. On 19 June 2020, two officers from the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), came to question Tiwagon’s mother about him. On the following day, nearly ten undercover police officers came to talk and plead with Tiwagon for over an hour for him to stop wearing the T-shirt. ISOC officers came back to talk with his mother almost every day afterward.

As such talks failed to convince Tiwagon to stop making such expression, on the evening of 9 July 2020, the Thai authorities forced Tiwagon to become a psychiatric patient as a dozen medical doctors and police came to deprive him of his liberty and placed him at a psychiatric hospital in Khon Kaen. They also searched his house, seized his phones, computers, and T-shirts. They forcibly injected medicine into him forcing him to take psychiatric medicine and had police to keep a watch on him at all times and disallowed any visits by his relatives.

That prompted a trend of #SaveTiwagon and ‘Pai’ Jatupat, as Secretary of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice, and Human Rights, filed a motion with the Court asking for the release of Tiwagon from the unlawful detention. The Court dismissed the request citing Pai’s lack of legal standing. Tiwagon was eventually discharged from hospital and the “forced treatment” on the evening on 14 August 2020. According to the doctor, he showed no symptoms of psychiatric conditions. One year later, Tiwagon still found his house being searched and his belongings seized while the authorities failed to produce any warrant and he had no idea what authority they invoked.

After resuming his normal life, the medical treatment from the psychiatric hospital continued to take its toll on Tiwagon’s body and mind. What has changed is his exercise of freedom of expression. After his daily routine of raising his cattle, he would spend time on posting Facebook messages to express his opinions on democracy, Article 112 or the monarchy and wears the T-shirt “I no longer have faith in monarchies” again after the four protest leaders of the Ratsadon Group were denied bail in Article 112 cases in February 2021. He even carried out “Stand Stop Detention” protests by himself in front of his home, or at the Democracy Monument in Khon Kaen sometimes. Once, Tiwagon wore his T-shirt and walked to raise public awareness in the city of Khon Kaen encouraging people to cast their votes on his referendum.

The Provincial Court of Khon Kaen dismissed the case against him on 29 September 2022. Nonetheless, the Appeal Court has overturned the verdict and convicted and sentenced him to six years imprisonment for the three Facebook posts. After the verdict, Tiwagon declared that for now, he would not apply for bail.