Chutima Sidasathian

Chutima Sidasathian (; 26 March 1982 – 15 August 2026) was a Thai journalist. She was known for her investigative reporting on issues of corruption in Thailand.

Life and career Sidasathian was born in Non Thai district, Nakhon Ratchasima province. She had a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Phuket Rajabhat University and a master's degree in political science from Ramkhamhaeng University. She successfully obtained a PhD in Asian studies from Walailak University, with her thesis being about Rohingya refugees.

In 2009, Sidasathian received some attention for a series of articles written for the South China Morning Post about the treatment of Boat Dwellers in Hong Kong, which led to authorities there changing policy concerning them. That same year, she started working as an investigative journalist for Phuketwan, an English-language newspaper based in Phuket province, where she frequently wrote about corruption and issues facing the rural population in Thailand, as well as refugees.

2013 investigation into trafficking On 17 July 2013, Sidasathian wrote an article for Phuketwan, based on a report by the international news agency Reuters, about the alleged involvement of officers from the Royal Thai Navy in the trafficking of Rohingya refugees in Southern Thailand. In 2015, Sidasathian and Phuketwan 's editor, Alan Morison, were charged with defamation under the Computer Crime Act. On 1 September 2015, Sidasathian and Morison were both acquitted when the case was dismissed by the Phuket Provincial Court.

2022 investigation into corruption In February and April 2022, Sidasathian reported on alleged corruption in Nakhon Ratchasima after learning that villagers were being taken to court to recover debts they allegedly owed to the Government Savings Bank despite having never been given the money. Sidasathian reported that several families had been driven to financial ruin due to the civil court actions, with at least three villagers dying by suicide, and filed complaints on their behalf with the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Special Investigation and the National Human Rights Commission.

In 2023, Thailand's National Human Rights Commission ruled that the proceedings against Sidasathian constituted a strategic lawsuit against public participation, litigation intended to silence critics.

The Thai government went on to establish a Special Commission of Investigation to investigate the banking scandal; the Government Savings Bank also completed its own internal investigation which confirmed Sidasathian's findings.

Response Media Defence, a non-governmental press freedom organisation who supported Sidasathian in both her defamation trials, stated that Thai authorities used defamation laws to "intimidate and silence" journalists reporting on corruption.