Thai Police step up arrests over fake news about Covid-19 Coronavirus, arrest Rayong food vendor and Bangkok grocer

Rayong

Police have stepped up arrests for people claiming false news about the Corona virus in Thailand which the Technology Crime Suppression Division says incites panic and causes rumors to spread. They have also warned the public not to spread fake news.

In Rayong yesterday, a female vendor was arrested for spreading a fake story alleging that a school in the province had covered up the death of a student from Covid-19.

The suspect was taken to TCSD headquarters for questioning.

This comes as fake rumors also ended up in the news about Pattaya, claiming several patients were in area hospitals and there had been a breakout in the city. City, Government and Hospital officials all confirmed these rumors were fake and Pattaya has no cases of Covid-19.

A Bangkok woman who is a grocery store owner was also arrested yesterday by the Technology Crimes Suppression Division. She admitted to sharing online that a person had died at a shopping mall in Bangkok and forty people were infected. The rumor went viral on social media and was also proven entirely false.

Spreading fake news and rumors about the virus or alleging there is a cover up is punishable by up to five years in prison and a 100,000 baht fine, Police added. The Anti Fake News division of the government has been closely watching social media and gathering more data on people who spread false rumors.

Even sharing a post or liking a post alleging fake news can be a violation of the law.

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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/