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- Compiled by ATIYA ACHAKULWIS­UT and SIRINYA WATTANASUK­CHAI

The popular website Drama-addict is taking issue with claims by an anonymous petitioner to the government that it poses a threat to national security.

The site owner, who writes under the pseudonym Ja Pichit Khachadpan­chon, showed a series of documents stamped ‘’confidenti­al’’ on its Facebook page.

The first document appears to be a petition addressed to the government of Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, with a copy to the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Defence Ministry.

The letter, dated Sept 19, 2014, claims an officer attached to the Health Ministry is producing the Drama-addict fan page in work hours.

The site has more than 660,000 followers, though at the time it was drawing around 500,000.

The petition said the page exploits social conflicts as its selling point. The page has also tried to attack the government and prime minister, according to the letter published on the website and carried by Manager Online.

The petitioner, who wrote from Phichit province, said the government should tackle the website owner’s behaviour, which he said poses a risk to national security. He also asked that his name be kept secret. The Drama-addict Facebook owner said the site has its origins in humour. As such, he never thought it would be regarded as a threat to security.

Along with the message is an image of actress Jennifer Lawrence from the movie The Hunger Games, when the character she plays threatens to kill herself by eating poisonous berries.

The caption reads: “It must be a fragile system if it can be brought down by just a few berries.”

The page owner told his followers not to worry as he will continue to lampoon and criticise every political side as he always has.

Responding to the issue, National Council of Peace and Order (NCPO) deputy spokesman Winthai Suvari insisted the document shown on the Facebook page is not an official document, according to Post Today.

The petition letter does not follow an official agency-to-agency format, Col Winthai said. It appears to be an ordinary document which anybody can produce.

In response to the report, Ja Pichit uploaded another 11-page document, which features a letter dated February 2014.

It was allegedly sent from the office of the public health permanent secretary to Krabi province’s public health chief.

The letter asked the province’s public health authority to investigat­e a complaint filed through the government’s 1111 hotline against a local hospital director who was allegedly posting messages on websites.

Ja Pichit insisted on his Facebook page that the document is genuine.

In an interview with Manager Online in 2013, Ja Pichit, who identifies himself as a rural hospital doctor, said he spends his free time producing the popular website.

He said it started with straightfo­rward postings of popular topics from Pantip.

These topics, however, later became so complicate­d he felt he needed to put in some explanatio­ns and personal comments.

With its motto “this drama is so complicate­d,” the page has attracted followers for his ability to explain convoluted stories concisely and his cut-to-the-chase comments that are sometimes humourous but often crude and rude.

 ?? DRAMA-ADDICT FB ?? The lampoon site “Drama-addict” has been accused of posing a threat to national security by an anonymous petitioner.
DRAMA-ADDICT FB The lampoon site “Drama-addict” has been accused of posing a threat to national security by an anonymous petitioner.
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 ??  ?? An anonymous petitioner says the popular “Drama-addict” site is a threat to national security.
An anonymous petitioner says the popular “Drama-addict” site is a threat to national security.
 ??  ?? An image of actress Jennifer Lawrence from the movie “The Hunger Games”.
An image of actress Jennifer Lawrence from the movie “The Hunger Games”.

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