Thai government threatens legal action against Facebook over posts criticising monarchy

Protests demanding democratic reform, new elections and measures to reduce the influence of Thailand’s king have been gaining momentum

Thailand has strict lèse-majesté laws criminalising insults against top members of the royal family, which have resulted in lengthy jail sentences

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Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:59pm, 13 Aug 2020Updated: 9:59pm, 13 Aug 2020

Thailand has threatened to take legal action over posts made to social media platforms critical of the monarchy as student-led protests calling for democratic reform and curbs to the power of King Maha Vajiralongkorn gather steam.

Digital Economy Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta ordered authorities to identify “inappropriate” material and singled out 114 posts mostly made to Facebook but also Twitter and YouTube that may be in breach of the Computer Crimes Act.

“All evidence will be gathered and submitted to court tomorrow,” he wrote on Facebook late on Tuesday. “Once the court has issued an order, it will be forwarded to the three platforms. If within 15 days, the accounts are not closed or posts deleted, we’ll immediately take legal action.”

Pro-democracy students demand the government resign, parliament be dissolved and new elections be held under a revised constitution. Photo: Reuters

Facebook, Twitter and Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Anon Chawalawan from legal think tank iLaw said the Thai government has sought cooperation from Facebook to remove posts before. However, legal action has in the past targeted users rather than the platform.

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