BANGKOK — The attorney-general urged public prosecutors to exercise leniency when bringing charges against donors who violated the government’s ban on social gatherings, his spokesman said.

In response to the news of police arresting charity organizers for breaking the emergency decree, spokesman Prayut Petchkhun said prosecutors should take circumstances surrounding the offense into consideration before filing criminal charges against the donors.

“Attorney general Wongsakul Kittipromwong has instructed public prosecutors to use their discretion when considering the evidence and circumstances of the case,” Prayut said Friday. “Charges should be filed in accordance with the spirit of the law.”

Under the emergency decree enacted by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, large gatherings are banned. Charity events are also considered by authorities as a form of social gathering, which require approvals from local authorities before they can be held.

Prayut the spokesman said the agency’s civil rights protection office is ready to provide legal assistance to citizens, and they will publish information to raise public awareness of the law and government’s epidemic measures.

He added that the swift and decisive litigations by the prosecutors have led to the fall in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the country.

On Monday, a cash handout event in Chonburi was called off after organizers feared legal consequences after hundreds of people showed up.

An actual arrest was already made last week when a woman was charged for violating the emergency decree when a fight broke out during a food handout she organized close to Hualamphong Train Station on April 12. Her court case is ongoing.

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