The Criminal Court has sentenced Mongkutwattana Hospital director, Maj Gen Dr Rianthong Nanna, to five years in prison and fined him 100,000 baht for defaming Sira Jenjaka, a former Palang Pracharath Party MP for Bangkok.
The court later suspended the term for two years on account of his past contributions to society. Maj Gen Dr Rianthong was also ordered by the court to delete all messages and defamatory content regarding the former MP from his Facebook posts and publish an apology in newspapers, with the apology costs to be wholly covered by the hospital director.
On May 7, 2021, Maj Gen Dr Rianthong posted a message on his Facebook account accusing Mr Sira, who at the time represented Laksi district office, of obstructing the work of a field hospital he had set up for Covid-19 patients.
It was the third of four such cases filed by the former MP against Maj Gen Dr Riangthong.