· Retailer claims £1.6m for damage to its reputation · Article said company did not 'love' Thailand

Tesco in Thailand is suing a second columnist from a Bangkok business newspaper for £1.6m in libel damages.

The global retailer, trading as Tesco Lotus, claims the business gossip writer for Bangkok Business News damaged the company's reputation when she said the company did not "love" Thailand.

The offending article in Nongnart Harnvilai's tongue-in-cheek "Buzz" column was part of a collection of short stories on page 28 of the paper, and ran to just a few sentences.

Six weeks after the article appeared on January 29, the journalist on the Thai-language business daily, part of the respected Nation newspaper group, received a writ from Tesco Lotus.

Another of the paper's columnists, Kamol Kamoltrakul, had also been served with a libel writ from Tesco Lotus seeking 100m baht (£1.6m) in damages 11 days earlier.

A third Tesco Lotus critic, Jit Siratranont, former MP and now vice-general secretary of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, faces two years in jail accused of criminal libel, and a damages claim of 1.1bn baht (£16.6m).

Campaigners for free speech said the latest writ underscored Tesco Lotus's determination to stamp out criticism of its rapid expansion, which has been hotly debated for nearly a decade.

"Obviously Tesco Lotus is on the warpath," said Roby Alampay, of the South-east Asian Press Alliance (Seapa). "It's out to silence not only criticism, but seems to want to stop anyone saying anything about the company. We find that very ominous."

A committee of the Thai Journalists Association concerned with the potential erosion of press freedom is due to meet the columnists today to discuss ways to combat Tesco Lotus's tactics. Next week, Thailand's Human Rights Commission is set to address the company's multiple libel writs and the tactic of going after individuals rather than the organisations they represent.

Both Jit, 56, and Kamol, 58, had criticised Tesco Lotus's "aggressive" expansion in Thailand, saying it had come at the expense of small retailers who could not compete with company's 370 superstores and hypermarkets across the country. They also said the company had sought to minimise its Thai tax liabilities.

Nongnart, 45, joined the fray when she remarked on Tesco Lotus's plans to open a further 130 outlets, saying Thai competitors were in for a tough time. "Ha, Tesco Lotus doesn't love Thais," was her sign off. In the libel writ Tesco Lotus claimed the article had hurt its image and demanded £1.6m to repair the damage.

"It was supposed to be funny," said Duangkamol Chotana, the Bangkok Business News editor. "It's not even real criticism. I can't understand how Tesco Lotus feels damaged by this. I'm surprised by their action because they should understand and respect media freedom."

Bangkok Business News has said it will fight the actions and is backing both its columnists even though they - rather than it - were named in the writs.

But Tesco Lotus denied it was involved in a witch-hunt against individuals and merely felt it had to protect its name.

"It has never been our policy to seek legal action against anyone unless the things they say about the company are blatantly untrue," said Darmp Sukontasap, a Tesco Lotus senior vice-president.

"I believe this was the case in this instance. We're pursuing the case mainly because we believe that the things Nongnart said about the company were untrue. We have no other alternative but to seek justice in the court of law in order defend our good name and commitment we have to Thailand."