The government and police want the people of Thailand to stop spreading false information about the deadly bombing on social media. Police Chief Somyot Poompunmuang threatens legal action against the troublemakers.
The government has formed a special committee of military and police officers to review the online posts and photos and report to Prime Minister Prayut. Thai who go too far with spreading false information and rumors may expect a visit from the police.
In his weekly TV speech yesterday, the prime minister urged the population to think carefully before posting photos or information about the bombing on social media. Prayut wants social media users to help authorities look for suspicious activity and report it to the police.
Meanwhile, a police officer has been arrested who posted a strange message on his Facebook page on August 15: 'Soon your guys will hear good news (or maybe bad news I don't know). The entire country will be shaken. Wait and see.' The officer is being questioned, it is so far unclear whether there is a connection with the attack.
Somyot also denies the news from 'Times' reporter Richard Lloyd Parry that authorities are looking for a suspect with an Islamic name: Mohammed Museyin. Somyot has no idea how he got that information and refers the message to the realm of fables.
Furthermore, Somyot had to defend itself yesterday because the Thai explosive ordnance disposal service (EOD) would not have done its job properly. A BBC journalist had fairly easily found shrapnel at the crash site. The police chief says that despite this incident, the Thai EOD had combed the area.
The police are likely to use a company that can improve the camera images of the suspected perpetrator, which are now rather vague. The authorities are also looking for a woman fully dressed in black who was close to the perpetrator. Her identity and nationality are unknown.
The US embassy has also offered help to further investigate the camera images with special computer programs for facial recognition.
Source: Bangkok Post – http://goo.gl/IJExTI
Interesting that they say "stop spreading false information". They immediately throw it out that a foreigner committed the attack at the Erawan shrine. Reminds me of the serial killer on Koh Tau, arrested two Myanmarese and of course the Thai had nothing to do with this either. Who is fooling the public by spreading false information? I think herself.
“Prayut wants social media users to help authorities look for suspicious activity and report it to the police.” An excellent "idea".
“The government has formed a special committee of military and police officers to review the online posts and photos and report to Prime Minister Prayut.” and “Thai who go too far with spreading false information and rumors may expect a visit from the police.” Get rid of the excellent "idea".
Two contradictory things. A request to “the population” to lend a hand to find the perpetrator(s) of the bomb attack and at the same time to threaten with “a visit from the police” if “the population” posts a message (or photo) on social media of which the junta believes or assumes that the message or photo is “false”. A cornered cat makes strange jumps.
On August 18, Gerard van Heyste remarked “Only rulers like the one in Thailand are asking for trouble and now even the wrong friends, Russia, China and North Korea.” Well, the confirmation has come very quickly, now that the government (read Prayuth) has a special committee of military and police officers review online messages “for information”. In my opinion, these are Stasi practices or KGB practices or you name it. Amazing Thailand.