The army has yet to find a way to contact a sergeant, a driver at its transport department, suspected of hacking the personal data of 55 million Thais, according to the deputy army spokeswoman.
Maj Gen Sirichan Ngathong said Sunday denied the army was procrastinating on a warrant for the arrest of the sergeant major. Army investigators had approached his supervisors and family but the suspect could not be contacted yet, she said.
She was responding to a report that police wanted the suspected hacker identified as "SM2 Khemarat" to surrender within seven days.
The army had also formed a committee to consider disciplinary action on the sergeant major for tarnishing its image, Maj Gen Sirichan said.
"It is personal wrongdoing and has nothing to do with his military service, because he was a driver," the spokeswoman said, referring to a report that SM2 Khemarat worked at the Army Transportation Department in Nonthaburi province.
Responding to a report that the soldier had support from an influential person, Maj Gen Sirichan said that any soldiers suspected of wrongdoing would not be protected.
The arrest warrant stated the sergeant major was wanted on a charge of disseminating information causing panic among the public under the computer crime law.
The suspect, using thepseudonym "9Near" posted on BreachForum that he held the personal data of 55 million Thais, including names, surnames, addresses, birthdates, ID card numbers and telephone numbers.
The hacker threatened to expose the information if the government agency allegedly involved in the data breach failed to meet a ransom demand last week.
Reports said the suspect's wife is a nurse who is now on the run with her husband. She reportedly gained access to the Mor Prom app, a health service portal of the Public Health Ministry that contained the personal data of most of the Thai population.