Investigative reporter Tom Wright faces criminal defamation charge in Thailand

Mae Sot, May 18, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Thai politician Vorapak Tanyawong to drop his criminal defamation suit against Whale Hunting newsletter’s investigative reporter Tom Wright, and urges Thailand to reform its criminal statutes so that they cannot be abused to silence the press.

Wright told CPJ that he faces criminal charges and $1.5 million in damages for Whale Hunting’s reporting alleging Vorapak is involved in a criminal network that launders funds from Cambodian online scam centers through Thai financial institutions. Vorapak resigned as deputy finance minister in October, days after Whale Hunting published its document-backed investigation.

“Thai politician Vorapak Tanyawong must immediately drop his criminal defamation suit against Whale Hunting reporter Tom Wright, which is a textbook abuse of Thailand’s legal system to silence public-interest reporting,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Thailand must urgently reform its criminal defamation statutes so that powerful figures can no longer weaponize them against the press.”

Wright, the corruption-focused newsletter’s Singapore-based co-founder, told CPJ that Whale Hunting “will not be deterred” and is “prepared to fight this in court to protect the truth.”

Maximum penalties under Thailand’s punitive criminal defamation law carry a maximum two-year prison sentence. 

Journalists in Thailand are frequently targeted with Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which are abusive lawsuits filed to silence critical reporting using lengthy, costly legal proceedings, rather than seeking to address actual wrongs.

On May 22, hearings are due to begin in another criminal defamation case, where Kowit Phothisan, an editor with the local The Isaan Record, is facing charges for sharing on social media allegations of bribery, reported by his outlet, involving environment minister Suchart Chomklin.