A navy chief petty officer has been found guilty of misconduct after being caught on video saying he had a bomb in his baggage ahead of boarding a flight at Hat Yai airport, greatly alarming fellow travellers.
The sailor, CPO1 Pairoj Khaokaewwho, made the claim on Wednesday when trying to board a flight to Don Mueang airport in Bangkok.
A video of the incident released on Thursday quickly went viral. It showed him challenging airport staff to check his carry-on bag after it went through an X-ray machine, saying he had a bomb.
CPO1 Pairoj, who serves with the Naval Communications and Information Technology Department, appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time.
He also claimed to be a royal guard and know the prime minister.
All of his acts were found to have violated Section 22 of the Certain Offences against Air Navigation Act 2015 for giving false statement, which caused alarm and panic among people at the airport.
Navy spokesman, VAdm Pokkrong Monthatphalin, yesterday said a panel had found the sailor guilty of misconduct.
CPO1 Pairoj was jailed for 14 days over the airport incident and had his naval retirement bonus suspended for one month.