Bangkok, October 8, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Thai politician and financier Vorapak Tanyawong to drop his criminal defamation suit against investigative reporter Tom Wright, following a Thai court’s decision to hear two separate complaints.
Wright, the Singapore-based co-founder of the corruption-focused Whale Hunting newsletter, told CPJ that the two charges focus on his reporting alleging that Vorapak was involved in a criminal network that laundered funds from Cambodian scam centers through Thai financial institutions.
Vorapak, who resigned as deputy finance minister in October 2025, days after Whale Hunting published one of several investigative reports, has denied the allegations. Wright told CPJ that Whale Hunting “will not be deterred” and is “prepared to fight this in court to protect the truth.”
“Thai politician Vorapak Tanyawong should drop his criminal defamation suits against journalist Tom Wright and stop using legal threats to stifle reporting into his background,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Thailand’s courts should not be a venue for powerful politicians to harass and threaten journalists for their investigative reporting in the public interest.”
Wright’s lawyer, Korplarp Apaipak, chairman of the Thailand-based Korpniti & Associates, told CPJ by email that the court had dismissed five of Vorapak’s seven complaints, and that he could not yet fully present evidence or request documents from third parties in Wright’s defense because of procedural limits.
The defamation suits against Wright coincide with rising scrutiny of Vorapak’s activities. In a September 15 letter, U.S. Reps. Brian Mast and John Moolenaar asked the State and Treasury departments to investigate 28 individuals and entities, including Vorapak, for possible links to Southeast Asian scam networks and to determine whether they meet U.S. sanctions criteria.
Following the letter, Vorapak denied involvement in any scam networks, money laundering, or human trafficking, and said he had contacted the U.S. Treasury Department to offer evidence. CPJ could not find contact information for Vorapak or his lawyers for comment.
Criminal defamation in Thailand carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison for each count. Journalists there are frequently targeted with strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), abusive suits that use lengthy, costly proceedings to silence critical reporting.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
Committee to Protect Journalists | Radio Free (2026-10-08T15:37:16+00:00) Thai court to hear criminal defamation charges against investigative reporter Tom Wright. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/10/08/thai-court-to-hear-criminal-defamation-charges-against-investigative-reporter-tom-wright/
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