Footage of ex-Thai lawmaker in custody over alleged murder falsely linked to protest during Myanmar leader visit
- Published on August 15, 2026 at 10:33
- 2 min read
- By AFP Thailand
A Thai opposition lawmaker staged a protest at a reception during Myanmar's ex-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing's visit to Thailand in August 2026, but footage circulating online is not proof that the MP was taken into custody afterwards. The video in fact shows a former Thai lawmaker arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a local government official.
"Myanmar's president is very powerful. Be polite and respectful when he visits next time," reads the Burmese caption of a TikTok video shared on August 12.
The attached video shows a man in handcuffs escorted into a cell by another man in uniform. They can be heard speaking in Thai.
The same footage has spread elsewhere in TikTok posts which also claim the man is a lawmaker arrested for protesting against Min Aung Hlaing.
The claim surfaced after Thai opposition lawmaker Anusorn Tamajai staged a protest calling for "peace and humanity" during a reception to officially receive Myanmar's ex-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on August 7, who was in Thailand for his first visit as civilian leader (archived here and here).
He was installed as Myanmar's president in April following stage-managed elections that democracy watchdogs and Western nations called a sham intended to launder the junta's image.
Thailand has since been leading an effort to normalise relations with Myanmar, both bilaterally and through the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Anusorn was later removed from the event by security, but an AFP journalist covering Hlaing's visit confirmed he was not arrested for protesting.
The circulating video is also unrelated to Hlaing's visit, and in fact shows a former Thai lawmaker arrested for allegedly killing a government official.
Arrested ex-Thai lawmaker
A combination of reverse image and keyword searches found that local media MGROnline published the same footage on August 10 (archived link).
Superimposed Thai text on the video reads, "Police escort 'Chalong Riewrang' in handcuffs to his cell after criticism that he was given too much courtesy" -- referring to criticism that the police gave him preferential treatment after he was photographed smoking while uncuffed following his arrest.
The former lawmaker shot dead a local government official in broad daylight over a financial dispute before he was arrested and confessed to journalists at the police station (archived link).
The attack took place outside a government building in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, just days after a school shooting in the same region that raised questions over gun control in Thailand.
Other Thai media outlets have also published the clip in their reports of his arrest (archived here and here).
AFP has fact-checked another false claim related to Hlaing's visit to Thailand in August 2026.
Copyright © AFP 2017-2026. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
