Thai activist charged over ‘inappropriate’ royal history post

Bangkok, Oct 8 (AFP/APP):A Thai pro-democracy activist has been charged over an “inappropriate” social media post, police said Tuesday, as authorities use a tough cyberlaw against perceived critics of the powerful monarchy.

Police arrested 25-year-old Kan Pongprapapan late Monday and charged him with violating the Computer Crimes Act after a Facebook post touching on the turbulent lives of world-famous royal families. The charge carries up to five years in jail.

Kan, who remains in custody, did not mention Thailand’s ultra-wealthy monarchy, which is shielded from criticism by one of the harshest royal defamation laws in the world.

The law heavily restricts reporting on cases involving the monarchy inside a country where all media must self-censor when discussing the unassailable institution.

“He (Kan) was arrested at his home on Monday night,” Thailand’s cybercrime police said in a statement, adding that the message “spurred hatred”.
It warned others could also be prosecuted for sharing similar content. The statement also mentioned an “inappropriate hashtag”.