All online content must be 'respectful'

All online content must be 'respectful'

Mobs gather to level lese majeste claims

Soldiers and police had to disperse a persistent mob at Phuket who demanded instant justice for a man they claimed insulted King Bhumibol. (AP photo)
Soldiers and police had to disperse a persistent mob at Phuket who demanded instant justice for a man they claimed insulted King Bhumibol. (AP photo)

The government has called on people to behave respectfully and refrain from posting "inappropriate content" online while the country mourns His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The warning comes after three incidents in which crowds gathered to accuse individuals of posting inappropriate content about the passing of the King.

On Friday night, over 1,000 people gathered at a popular soymilk shop in tambon Talat Yai in Phuket's Muang district looking for the shop owner's son. They accused the son of posting an "insulting" message on Facebook about the King's passing.

Police responded to the gathering, heard the crowd's complaint and then asked the gathering to disperse. Officials said the man's post did not "directly insult" the monarch.

In Phangnga, on Saturday night, over 1,500 people set up a roadblock on Phetkasem Road near Kok Kloy Market in Takua Thung district in protest of a social media post. As a result, local authorities and military and police officers were put on standby.

They crowd accused the son of the owner of a roti shop located by the market of posting "severely offensive" content on the Riskee Number Four Eleven Facebook page. The owner's son serves as a military conscript attached to Third Naval Area Command in Phangnga.

The crowd demanded police charge the man with lese majeste.

Three hours after the demonstration began, Ekkachai Suwanno, deputy chief of Internal Security Operations Command, who represents the Third Naval Area Command, promised to take legal action against the man. The demonstrators then sang the royal anthem before dispersing.

In Surat Thani, hundreds of people led by a group of local passenger van drivers gathered at Bo Put police station in Koh Samui district Sunday to demand police take legal action against a local identified as Umaporn Sarasat, 43, accusing her of lese majeste.

Police took Ms Umaporn from a bungalow on Koh Samui to the police station. The demonstrators demanded Ms Umaporn apologise to the late King's portrait. She finally bowed to the demonstrators.

Police told the demonstrators that Ms Umaporn would be detained for questioning and might be charged, after which the group dispersed.

Speaking at Government House Sunday, Prime Minister's Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said provincial governors and local authorities had been working to inform locals about an official period of mourning following the passing of the revered King.

Mr Suwaphan said the government didn't want to escalate the issue, urging people to stop posting any "inappropriate content" online and show respect.

In another development, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement to correct foreign media reports about the number of people paying respect to the late King.

"While there have been news reports that thousands of Thais have gathered to mourn the loss of King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Royal Palace, the actual number is far greater than what was reported," it said.

"Millions of Thais across the nation have gathered together to mourn the loss of the revered King. Hundreds of thousands have lined up along the route where his funeral procession moved from Siriraj Hospital to the Grand Palace while the rest of the nation solemnly watched the live broadcast."

Officials are working to help the millions of people from all over the country who are arriving to pay their tributes, said the ministry.

People join in religious activities at Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram in Bangkok Sunday in tribute to His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)

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