Thailand Warns Facebook Bloc More Than Ton Objectionable Pages That Insults King

Thailand has warned Facebook to remove from its server several pages containing video of the new king showing walking through a shopping mall in a crop top.

The move is latest clampdown on online speech by a military junta that came to power in a 2014 coup.

Meanwhile, Facebook too has been facing similar warnings from other countries too and struggling to balance local laws and culture expectations. Core identity of the platform is at risk. It is a network where users are free to share news and ideas with others.

In Thailand insulting the king, the queen or the crown prince is an insult.

David Streckfuss, author of “Truth on Trial in Thailand: Defamation, Treason, and Lese-Majeste,” said the move is a sign the king is solidifying ideologically around the monarchy.

He added, “Its main tactic will be to refashion this law, already much abused, into an offensive weapon designed to eliminate all forms of political opposition.”

A total of 131 pages in Facebook are violating the computer crimes or lese-majeste laws and those have not yet been removed by the company, said secretary general of Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, Takorn Tantasith.

He added the government has obtained a court order to block the Facebook pages.

Meanwhile, it is learned Facebook has agreed to cooperate.