A disgraced ex-Bangkok MP has been marched off to jail after Thailand’s Supreme Court upheld a defamation conviction linked to a fiery hospital confrontation.
Sira Jenjaka, once a high-profile figure for the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), was sentenced yesterday, June 18, to six months and 20 days in prison without suspension, following a long-running feud with Mongkutwattana Hospital director Majoe General Dr Rienthong Nanna.
The saga began on May 7, 2021, when Sira and a group of men stormed into the private hospital in Bangkok’s Laksi district without permission. There, he publicly insulted Dr Rienthong, a move that led to charges of trespassing and defamation.
Sira’s conduct, which included further alleged attacks via television and online platforms, was flatly denied by the former MP. However, the lower court found him guilty and initially sentenced him to one year and four months in prison without suspension. The Appeal Court later reduced that sentence to 10 months.
Hoping for leniency, Sira petitioned the Supreme Court to suspend the prison term entirely. But that final lifeline was cut short when the court rejected his plea, instead reducing the jail time to six months and 20 days, and sending him directly behind bars.
“This case has gone through every level of the justice system,” said Phaisan Chalikaeo, Dr Rienthong’s lawyer. “The ruling is clear, no one is above the law, not even former politicians.”
The court’s decision puts an end to one of Thailand’s most bitter personal political spats, which had repercussions for both men.
In a twist of irony, Dr Rienthong himself was convicted of defaming Sira in a related case in August 2023. The Criminal Court sentenced him to five years in prison and a 100,000 baht fine. However, his sentence was suspended for two years in light of his public service record, reported Bangkok Post.
Both cases stem from the same 2021 incident, painting a picture of mutual mudslinging between two powerful egos.
Now, with the legal dust settled, Sira will serve time, a dramatic fall for a man who once sat in Parliament and held the title of House committee chair.
As he begins his sentence, one thing is clear: political privilege didn’t save him.
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