“Petch” Thanakorn (surname withheld) and “Beam” Natthakorn (pseudonym) are Thai youth activists. On December 20, 2020, Petch and Beam participated in an “#EveryoneWearsCropTop” event at Siam Paragon shopping mall, where participants wore crop tops and walked around the mall. The demonstration challenged the idea that wearing crop tops is illegal, following the prior charge of a 16-year-old (“Sainam”) for wearing a crop top and writing on his body. Sainam had been charged, and was subsequently convicted, under Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code (lèse majesté), which prohibits defamation of, insults, or threats to the monarchy. At the #EveryoneWearsCropTop event, crop tops were worn in reference to photos published in tabloids and on social media of the Thai King wearing a crop top, and some participants carried signs advocating for the abolition of Section 112 and Section 116 (sedition) of the Thai Criminal Code. Petch carried signs that read “Reform the Monarchy” and “Abolish Section 116, Section 112”, and raised a three-finger salute. Beam wore a crop top and raised a three-finger salute for a photo.

Petch and Beam were summoned to the police station and notified of charges against them for their participation in the #EveryoneWearsCropTop event in January 2021. Neither youth was detained pre-trial. Because they were minors at the time of the alleged offence, Petch and Beam’s case was handled by the Central Juvenile and Family Court. Petch and Beam were indicted on November 26, 2021, on charges under Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code (lèse majesté) for alleged defamation of the monarchy. A separate case against five other participants in the #EveryoneWearsCropTop event had previously been filed in the Bangkok South Criminal Court in June 2021. Petch and Beam’s indictment had been twice postponed – from May 20, 2021, to June 2021, until it was finally heard on November 26, 2021. 

Petch and Beam’s trial began in June 2023. The prosecutor alleged that Petch and Beam’s participation in the event implied their agreement with the other participants, whose activity the Court deemed to be “mocking and insulting” the monarchy “in an attempt to erode the public respect and faith in the monarchy.” Upon their indictment, the Juvenile Court granted bail to Petch and Beam. 

In their defense, Petch and Beam argued that they were merely participants in the event and did not solicit others to join them. They also argued that they did not intend to insult, defame, or threaten the monarchy as prohibited by Section 112, and that they have the freedom to wear a crop top under the Thai Constitution.

Over a period of nearly 10 months, the Court heard 18 witness examinations, including of Petch and Beam. The prosecution originally stated it planned to bring in 44 witnesses, but only produced 8. The Court did not allow expert academic witnesses to testify, nor did it allow observers to monitor the proceedings – Thai Lawyers for Human Rights and Amnesty Thailand both submitted a request to observe the witness examinations, but the Court denied the request. 

In its judgment, the Central Juvenile and Family Court primarily relied on the expression of five other participants in #EveryoneWearsCropTops to find Petch and Beam guilty under Section 112. For example, three of the other participants wrote messages on their bodies that the Court found to be disrespectful and mocked the King and Queen. Although Petch and Beam did not bear these messages, the Court held that by not separating themselves from the others, Petch and Beam shared the “intention to jointly insult and defame” the monarchy. The court applied the same logic to other actions by participants to find Petch and Beam guilty of jointly defaming and insulting the monarchy under Section 112. The five other participants were charged separately under Section 112 in the Bangkok South Criminal Court. 

Petch and Beam were convicted under Section 112 on June 5, 2024, and initially sentenced to 3 years in prison, which was reduced to 1 year and 6 months due to their being minors at the time of the offense. The sentence was then converted to 1-2 years of training at the Bangkok Juvenile Vocational Training Center, including three vocational training courses. Petch and Beam are currently appealing their convictions and have been granted bail pending appeal.

Petch, a pro-democracy and LGBTQ+ youth human rights defender, has been convicted in two other cases under Section 112, initially sentenced to prison but his sentence was replaced with orders to attend counseling and to enter a Juvenile Vocational Training center.

The case of Petch and Beam is representative of Thailand’s repression of dissent, including against minors. Human rights defenders, pro-democracy and environmental activists, academics, and journalists in Thailand face ongoing surveillance, harassment, and prosecutions, including under Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté and sedition laws. In 2025, Thailand received a Freedom in the World score of 34/100 and was categorized as “Not Free” by Freedom House. One tool Thailand uses to silence dissent is Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, or the lèse-majesté law, which prohibits defamation of, insults, or threats to the monarchy and provides for a penalty of 3-15 years imprisonment.  

Widespread protests took place in 2020–2021 in favor of democratic reform, including reform of the monarchy. In November 2020, in response to the pro-democracy protests, then-Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha declared that he would intensify enforcement of all laws and provisions against protestors, which included Section 112. Section 112 does not define what constitutes defamation, insult, or threat to the monarchy, therefore allowing authorities to arbitrarily and discriminatorily apply the law. Further, anyone may file a Section 112 case, resulting in it being used as a harassment tool, including by pro-monarchy royalist groups. From November 2020 to August 2025, 282 people were charged in 315 cases under Section 112. Section 112 is often used in conjunction with Section 116 and Article 14 of the Computer Crimes Act to target pro-democracy activists and others deemed critical of the monarchy. Section 116 prohibits expression that intends to change the law by use of force or violence, raise unrest, or cause others to violate laws, and is often also used against perceived dissidents.

As in the case of Petch and Beam, children have been targeted by Section 112 lawsuits. As of August 2025, 20 children in 24 cases were charged under Section 112, with three children convicted and 11 children pleading guilty. Children charged in Section 112 cases may be subject to pre-trial detention and detention via “diversion programs” classified as “special measures in lieu of judgment” imposed when a child defendant enters a guilty plea. For example, Poom and Phattarachai, two children charged under Section 112 for allegedly throwing dog food at a portrait of the King, pled guilty and were sentenced to “special measures in lieu of judgment.” While in the past diversion programs for children did not include custodial detention, Poom and Phattarachai’s “special measures” ordered included detention at an observation center.

• Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Case 112 activity #EveryoneWearCropTops walking around Paragon on December 20th (2025)
• Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, The Juvenile Court sentenced Petch and Beam to three years in prison for participating in the #EveryoneWearsCropTops campaign at Paragon. The campaign was later reduced in half and changed to one to two years of training and released on bail. (5 June 2024)
• Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, From Classroom to Courtroom: Report Release on Children’s Rights to Freedom of Expression and Assembly in Thailand (January 2024)