Thailand cracks down on fake news of Coronavirus with two arrests made today, one a woman who made false claims about Pattaya

BANGKOK — The government on Thursday said two people were arrested for posting false information about the outbreak of novel coronavirus.

Minister of Digital Economy and Society Buddhipongse Punnakanta said the ministry’s “Anti-Fake News Center” collaborated with the police to arrest Thitima Kongthon at her house in Bangkok’s Minburi district after she posted on her Facebook that a patient infected with the virus had died in Pattaya.

The Pattaya News notes that there have been no confirmed or suspected cases in Pattaya according to local hospital officials.

Another suspect, Ritthisak Wongthonglueang, was apprehended at his house in Taweewattana district. Buddhipongse said the man confessed that he posted a video of a person collapsing in an unrelated incident but posted it to mislead the public that it was connected to the coronavirus. 

Both suspects face up to five years in prison.

The minister said operations are underway for other targets who are spreading false information, adding that the government is not idle in combating fake news. 

“We’re not moving slowly. In fact, we’ve already arrested two suspects, while China could only arrest one,” Buddhipongse said. “The Prime Minister has insisted that combating fake news is a priority since people’s illness is a sensitive issue.”

The two suspects would be charged with disseminating false information, which carries up to five years in prison if found guilty.

The Anti-Fake News Center said it has received 7,587 complaints about the coronavirus since Saturday. The center is verifying 160 cases with relevant authorities. It has declared 22 of them to be fake news so far, such as claims that a Thai Airways flight attendant had contracted the virus.

See more at: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2020/01/30/two-arrested-for-spreading-coronavirus-fake-news/

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/