Thai man slaps famous lawyer allegedly over criticism of Islam

A Thai man slapped a famous lawyer during an interview at the Central Investigation Bureau’s Complaint Centre in Bangkok today, November 1, claiming he was offended by the lawyer’s criticism of Islam.

Pictures and videos of the incident, in which renowned lawyer Dhammarat Sarapanya was slapped, circulated on Thai social media this afternoon. Dhammarat was seen giving an interview at the complaint centre when the assailant suddenly approached and struck him.

Dhammarat visited the complaint centre today to file a complaint against a well-known influencer named Beer, better known on TikTok as Khon Tuen Thum. Beer is recognised as a Buddhist doctrine commentator who offers strong opinions and answers questions from netizens based on Buddhist principles.

Dhammarat accused Beer of insulting the Buddhist religion, allegedly violating Section 206 of the Criminal Code, which could lead to up to one year of imprisonment, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both. Dhammarat had just completed the complaint process and was speaking to the media when the incident occurred.

The attacker was later identified as 28 year old Jaruwate Pongchawee, who is currently detained at Phahonyothin Police Station. He was questioned for over an hour regarding the motive behind the assault as many suspected it was involved with Beer.

Jaruwate denied Beer’s involvement and explained that he had previously seen Dhammarat share opinions and criticism about Islam on his Facebook account. As his wife is Muslim, he found Dhammarat’s post offensive.

Lawyer doubts motive

Jaruwate stated that he came to the complaint centre to discuss the matter with the lawyer but Dhammarat refused. So he acted in anger and slapped the lawyer, as seen on social media and in news reports.

Jaruwate also asserted that his two friends who accompanied him to the complaint centre were not involved in the physical assault. He claimed he acted alone and did not plan the attack.

Dhammarat expressed doubt over Jaruwate’s explanation to the media and police, suspecting that someone with a vendetta against him may have been behind the attack. He asked the police to check Jaruwate’s phone to see with whom he had been in contact before the incident.

Dhammarat said that the slap was a minor issue for him as he previously survived an attempted shooting. However, he insisted that he would pursue legal action against Jaruwate. He also issued a warning to anyone contemplating harm against him, stating he would consider purchasing more firearms for his protection.

In a related report, a Thai man recently accused Dhammarat of hiding his Ducati motorcycle to evade repossession by a finance company, which led the man to nearly lose his home to the lender. The lawyer has maintained his innocence and threatened to sue anyone who attempts to damage his reputation.