TRANG: A group of 20 provincial Islamic committee members and local residents have asked provincial authorities to investigate a deputy committee chairman for allegedly watching porn clips at an office computer almost every day for nearly two months.
The accused man denied the accusation, insisting he was just doing his job of monitoring online clips that may affect Islam's image.
A staff member responsible for office equipment at the Trang provincial Islamic committee office in Yan Ta Khao district told reporters that the problem began when office computers in the same network at the office slowed to a crawl.
He then checked the browsing history of users and found many indecent websites had been accessed, and the office's computers had become infected with viruses. He then alerted committee members.
Closed-circuit television cameras were later installed, enabling them to identify the person who accessed the material.
It turned out to be Sudeen Subden, a deputy chairman. He was heavily criticised by Muslim residents after images of him allegedly watching those clips, mostly at night, were shared online.
Samarn Lipaphan, a member of the provincial Islamic committee, said the panel had recently held a meeting to discuss the matter.
During the meeting, Mr Sudeen denied the accusation and claimed he was just looking for information and inspecting clips deemed insulting to Muslim women.
Mr Samarn alleged that on some occasions as seen from the CCTV recordings, the man took off his clothes while watching the clips.
He claimed several committee members found this unacceptable.
Mr Sudeen said yesterday that as he was responsible for legal affairs and hosted a radio programme, he had to watch online videos following complaints of several clips and images affecting Muslims, said Mr Sudeen.
On Friday, a group of 20 Islamic committee members and residents submitted a letter to Trang governor Luechai Charoensap and provincial culture chief Prayoon Nusuk to investigate the matter.