Thailand police recently raided the homes of four individuals accused of spreading “fake news” about the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China.
The raids took place in Chonburi, Chachoengsao, Chiangmai, and Nan provinces.
Officials from the Ministry Digital for Economy and Society, Technology Crime Suppression Division organized the raids and accompanied provincial authorities in making the arrests.
The suspects will be taken to the Technology Crime Suppression Division to answer further questions about the social media posts that were flagged by Thailand’s new state-of-the-art “anti-fake news” center.
The individuals involved in making the posts will most likely be charged under Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act.
The Computer Crimes Act has been used in the past to target individuals who make statements online that the Thai government considers “false”, “misleading”, or damaging to national security.
Most notably, the act was used against the leader of the progressive Future Forward party for remarks he made during a Facebook live video.
Thailand is just one of a number of states across Southeast Asia ramping up efforts to criminalize so-called fake news being spread online–especially in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
According to Bangkok criminal defense attorney Jitsopin Narasettapong, spreading fake news could result in up to a five-year prison sentence.
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