Pheu Thai spokeswoman charged

NCPO files lese majeste charges

Pheu Thai Party deputy spokeswoman Sunisa Lertpakawat has been charged for using Facebook to attack the government.
Pheu Thai Party deputy spokeswoman Sunisa Lertpakawat has been charged for using Facebook to attack the government.

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has filed suit against Pheu Thai Party deputy spokeswoman Sunisa Lertpakawat for Facebook posts criticising the government.

Burin Thongprapai, an army staff judge advocate, on Wednesday lodged a complaint against Lt Sunisa at the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), accusing her of spreading false information online in violation of the Computer Crime Act and the Criminal Code.

The move came after Lt Sunisa posted several messages on her Facebook page, criticising the junta on a number of issues. 

In a Facebook message on Nov 22, she lambasted the army for the deaths of soldiers and cadets as a result of corporal punishment.

She claimed that the families of the deceased who refused to turn a blind eye to what they believed to be foul play behind the deaths could be summoned for attitude adjustment sessions or face prosecution.

On Dec 3, Lt Sunisa wrote on her page reprimanding the government for its reliance on donations from Toon Bodyslam's charity run. She pointed out that the singer shouldn't have to be doing charity work to ease the government's financial situation.

The following day, Lt Sunisa again posted a message, alleging Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha acted unfairly when he compared the rock star with rubber farmers in Songkhla and fishermen in Pattani.

Recently, several Songkhla villagers who opposed a coal-fired power plant were detained during a clash with authorities. 

In response to the NCPO's move, Lt Sunisa on Thursday wrote on her Facebook: "If Gen Prayut orders his subordinate to file charges against me because I made harsh criticisms against them, it means Gen Prayut is not suitable to be the prime minister -- he is too cowardly to listen to other people's opinions."

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Vocabulary

  • advocate: someone who strongly and publicly supports someone or something - ผู้สนับสนุน
  • allege: to say that something is true or that someone has done something wrong, even though this has not been proved - อ้าง, กล่าวหา
  • cowardly (adv): not brave; not having the courage to do things that other people do not think are especially difficult - ขี้ขลาด, ไร้ความกล้า
  • deceased: dead - ซึ่งตายแล้ว
  • detain: to keep someone in a police station or prison and not allow them to leave - กักตัว ควบคุมตัวหรือฝากขัง
  • ease: to relieve; to make a problem, situation or pain less severe or serious - บรรเทา
  • foul play: violence or criminal action that causes someone’s death - อาชญากรรม
  • harsh: strict, unkind and often unfair - อย่างรุนแรง
  • junta: a group of military officers that governs a country, usually without having been elected - รัฐบาลทหาร
  • lambast: to criticise someone or something severely -
  • lodge: to formally make something such as a complaint or a claim - ยื่น (คำร้อง)
  • prosecution: the process of accusing someone of a crime and asking a court of law to judge them - การดำเนินคดีตามกฎหมาย
  • reprimand: to tell someone officially and in a serious way that something they have done is wrong - ตำหนิ, ว่ากล่าว
  • subordinate: having less power or authority than someone else - คนในบังคับบัญชา
  • summon: to officially order someone to come to a place - เรียกตัว
  • turn a blind eye: to deliberately not pay attention to; to ignore - ทำไม่รู้ไม่ชี้ ทำเป็นไม่เห็น
  • violation: an action that is against a law, agreement, principle, etc. - การฝ่าฝืน
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