As 4 Summoned Over Coup Rumors on Facebook, Is Thailand Stepping Back From Democracy?

There are reports that the Thai government is threatening to jail people for posting or even “liking” posts on Facebook that spread rumors about a coup in the country.

This is not the first time that Thailand’s online freedoms have come into question.

The threat results from the many protests happening in Bangkok and around Thailand recently, due to ongoing political instability. Adding fuel to the coup rumors, some even said that after the King has recovered from his illness, he returned to his palace in another province – which, again, has been taken as a sign that something is happening in Bangkok. Hence, the coup rumor spread, especially on social media sites like Facebook. Although, in fact, the King has been in this palace outside of Bangkok even before he got sick.

4 arrested

So far, four people have been arrested and questioned for posting rumors on Facebook and allegedly thereby “causing panic”. The postings mentioned the possibility of a military coup and urged the public to hoard food and water. This arrest was based on section 116 of the Computer Crime Act of Thailand.

The Technology Crime Suppression division’s chief of police, major general Pisit Paoin, said:

The four posted Facebook entries with false information that could damage the country. If found guilty, they could face up to five years in prison and a fine worth 100,000 baht ($3,200).

Freedom of speech is not clearly outlined as one of the rights of Thai people. There are many things we cannot say. Politicians sue each other for saying something deemed insulting that can ruin the reputation of one another all the time.

But not allowing regular folks to post, like, or share on Facebook has crossed the line, at least for me and some fellow Thai nationals I spoke with today.

Apisilp Trunganon, a product manager for Pantip, one of Thailand’s most reputable sites, seems to agree. He tweeted from his personal account regarding this matter:

In fact, clicking “like” on Facebook shouldn’t be a crime. The intention is just to show that the person “likes” the post, but doesn’t intend to “share”. The “sharing” function is Facebook’s way of spreading the user’s action.

จริงๆ การกด Like ไม่ควรผิดกฎหมายนะ เพราะเป็นการแสดงเจตนาว่าเรา “ชอบ” แต่ไม่ใช่ต้องการ “ส่งต่อ” การส่งต่อมันเป็นกลไกของ Facebook เอง

Crossing the line

How about TV rumor-mongers?

Freedom of speech under attack across Asia