Fresh legal action has been filed against Future Forward Party MP Pannika Wanich for allegedly acting inappropriately towards a picture of the late monarch -- a charge which has also landed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's younger brother and his wife, Pongpan Chan-o-cha, in hot water.
Cynthia Iamsa-ard and Techa Thabthong, accompanied by a group of supporters, yesterday went to the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) where they submitted a complaint against Ms Pannika.
The charge pertains to a photo which features the MP and her friends in graduation gowns back in 2010 gesturing toward a picture of the late monarch in a manner deemed offensive by some.
Mr Techa, a social activist, and Ms Cynthia, a core leader of the Khon Thai Poo Rak Chart (Thais Who Love the Nation) said they lodged the complaint because they knew no one has filed the charge against the MP related to the controversial picture before.
Ms Pannika is under investigation after activist Srisuwan Janya on Tuesday asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission to probe her over the picture. A few days earlier, Palang Pracharath Party MP Parina Kraikup also accused Ms Pannika of making an inappropriate gesture to King Rama IX in the picture.
Ms Pannika arrived back in Bangkok yesterday evening after attending a forum in Myanmar. She was invited to join the "E-Lection Bridge Asia-Pacific 2019" meeting organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation in Rangoon.
She spoke on the topic: "The influence of the military in democratic elections: Lessons from Thailand and Myanmar".