Thai government warns Facebook users not to press ‘like’ button on anti-monarchy posts

After a raise in anti-monarchy activities via cell phones and social media, Thai government has taken strict action against those who open their tongue against the king. Furthermore, a
government minister has warned Facebook users to stop posting and encouraging anti-monarchy activities on the social network.

He has stated that anyone pressing the “like” button on anti-monarchy posts will be considered offensive to the monarchy. The guilty will be prosecuted under the country’s strict lèse-majesté
laws, the laws against insulting the monarch. This warning came two days after a man was sent to jail for 20 years for sending text messages against the king.

A couple of days back, Thai criminal court sentenced 61-year-old Amphon Tangnoppaku 20 years in prison for sending offensive text messages that insulted the country’s queen. Tangnoppaku
was found guilty on four counts and sentenced to five years’ consecutive jail on each charge. Thai laws against lèse-majesté are the most severe in the world.

The court heard Amphon sent offensive text messages to a personal secretary of prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, in May 2010. Amphon denied the charges and said he was unfamiliar with
the text message function and did not know the recipient of the message.

The information technology minister, Anudith Nakornthap, said that anyone pressing “like” on items related to lèse-majesté on Facebook should go back and delete all their reactions and
comments.

Speaking to the local media, Nakornthap said, “If they don’t delete them, they can end up violating the computer crime act for indirectly distributing inappropriate content.”

The Thai government has also asked the social networking site to delete more than 10,000 pages of content offensive to the monarchy.

The minister spoke, “We have informed Facebook and sought their assistance in deleting content which is offensive to our monarchy. There are more than 10,000 URLs which seem to insult
the monarchy.”

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=4709

Posted by Zeeshan Gohar on Nov 25 2011. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry