Pattaya man arrested for tweets about 1955 executions

A portion of the Twitter profile for user @Ssj_2475. Image: Twitter
A portion of the Twitter profile for user @Ssj_2475. Image: Twitter

Authorities on Thursday night raided a residence in Chonburi province to arrest a man who wrote about the execution of three men held accountable for the death of King Rama VIII, according to a legal advocacy group.

The unidentified man, said to be 20, was charged under the Computer Crime Act after he allegedly wrote about three men executed 65 years ago for the death of King Ananda Mahidol under Twitter account @ssj_2475, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights wrote on social media Friday morning.

The group said the man posted a series of tweets Monday, the 65th anniversary of the execution of three attendants to the king – Chit Singhaseni, But Pattamasarin and Chaliew Pathumros.

He was charged under Section 14(3) of Computer Crime Act, which relates to online information that threatens “the kingdom’s security under the Criminal Code.”

The man was refused bail as police officers said his crime was “serious.” He’s being held at the Pattaya Provincial Court.

#SaveAnonymous has been a top trending hashtag on Twitter since Thursday night. 

After King Ananda Mahidol was found dead of a gunshot wound in his bedroom in 1946, an official commission was unable to conclude whether it was suicide or murder. Three royal pages – Chit, But and Chaliew – were later convicted and executed on Feb. 17, 1955. Many doubts about their guilt were raised about their guilt, including by Ananda’s successor, according to Thai royal historian Sulak Sivaraksa.

While the Computer Crime Act has been used to prosecute numerous cases involving messages posted to Facebook, it has been less frequently applied to Twitter. Late last year a young pro-democracy activist was charged under the act in a case related to the #royalmotorcade hashtag that trended during a surge in complaints about traffic.

Related:

New traffic rules for Bangkok’s royal motorcades: police

Thai activist accused of cybercrimes for posting about foreign monarchies: lawyer



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