Thai authorities threatened with prison for huskies posts on Facebook

Thai police launched an investigation into four people on charges of spreading panic - they wrote to Facebook about a possible military coup and called for water and food supplies, according to The Washington Post. The police threaten the prosecution of even those who just put likes to these posts.

Chief of the Police for the Prevention of Technological Crime, Major General Pisit Paoin, said that four defendants posted Facebook posts with false information that could harm the state. If they are found guilty, they face up to five years in prison and a fine of 100 thousand baht ($ 3,200).

“These four have published false reports of a coup and other messages that could lead to chaos in society,” Pisit said at a press conference. “The messages were absolutely untrue, and if they were spread, they could harm the country.”
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Bangkok is now covered in protests over the 2006 bill. Opponents of the bill say that its adoption can pave the way for the return of former Prime Minister Thaksin Chinnavat, who was overthrown by the military in 2006 and whose sister now heads the government.

Facebook messages said that a new coup might be in the making and food and water needed to be stocked. “Those who likes these messages and shared them will also be charged, so we would like to appeal to the public to be very careful when using social media,” added Pisit.

In Thailand, the Computer Crime Act has been in effect since 2007, which provides for hacking and other traditional online crimes. In addition, it imposes a restriction on the distribution of materials deemed harmful to national security or causing panic.