Nawat Calls for Broad-Mindedness, Urges Anutthin to Drop Lawsuit: 'I'm Just a Citizen'

Nawat addressed the ongoing legal dispute with Anutthin Charnvirakul, who previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, regarding a defamation lawsuit stemming from a Facebook live broadcast where Nawat criticized Anutthin's handling of COVID-19 measures. Nawat explained that he was critically ill with COVID-19, spending 27 days in the ICU and nearly dying, which prompted his critical comments. He argued that his criticism was a normal response as a citizen who was deeply affected by the pandemic. Despite initially being cleared by the court, the case has been reopened, and Nawat will return to court in March. He appealed to Anutthin to drop the lawsuit, questioning why a sitting Prime Minister would pursue such a case against a citizen. 'If I lose to Anutthin over something so minor, it would be a strange precedent for Thailand,' Nawat stated, expressing concern about the potential chilling effect on public criticism of government officials.