Political cyberspace complaints flourish

Social media a new battleground, writes Wassayos Ngamkham and Dumrongkiat Mala

Defamation lawsuits arising from online activity are now rife among political groups, especially when parties set up teams to monitor information operations, Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) deputy chief Siriwat Deepor says.

“Although the elections have finished, I am worried about the growing number of complaints related to conduct on cyberspace, especially defamation both personally and lese majeste cases. That’s because parties have set up information operations (IO) teams to fight against each other,” he said.

“Nowadays each party has an IO team of its own as online media can approach the audience from all walks of life and reach the targets directly. Most people also pay more attention to politics and online media can more easily help boost political supporters without having to go to rally at places,” he said.

Pol Col Siriwat also said stories and information will be intentionally sent to web pages of online influencers or famous Facebook pages so people will share the content. The loophole that there is no need for real names to apply for social media accounts will help in attacking political rivals.

“Discourse and criticism using harsh words finally leads to the use of hate speech unintentionally. Finally lawsuits are used against each side. The number of cases is rising,” he said, adding that as of the end of April, 426 cases have been filed with his agency while a total of 1,122 were filed last year.

Pol Col Siriwat said similar problems have cropped up in other countries. Just as many countries are increasing penalties for those who propagate or distribute fake news, Thailand should consider increasing the penalties for those using false information online to discredit political opponents.

Among the latest cases the TCSD has received is legal action filed against Future Forward Party MP Pannika Wanich for allegedly acting inappropriately towards a picture of the late monarch — a charge which has also landed Prime Minister Prayut Chano-cha’s younger brother and his wife, Pongpan Chan-o-cha, in hot water.

Techa Thabthong, a social activist, and Cynthia Iamsa-ard, a core leader of the Khon Thai Poo Rak Chart (Thais

I am worried about the growing number of complaints related to conduct on cyberspace, especially defamation both personally and lese majeste cases. TECHNOLOGY CRIME SUPPRESSION DIVISION (TCSD) DEPUTY CHIEF

Who Love the Nation) group said they lodged the complaint because they knew no one has filed the charge against the MP related to the picture before.

The charge pertains to a photo which features the MP and her friends in graduation gowns back in 2010 gesturing to a picture of the late monarch in a manner deemed offensive by some. Earlier, activist Srisuwan Janya asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission to probe her over the picture. A few days earlier, Palang Pracharath Party MP Parina Kraikup accused Ms Pannika of making an inappropriate gesture to King Rama IX in the picture.

Simultaneously, social media has become a new battleground for politicians since the controversial prime ministerial election ended. Popular platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been used by lawmakers, for the first time, as tools to bargain for cabinet seats and accuse people in opposite camps of being anti-monarchists.

The two obvious cases of this phenomenon are a war of words between Ms Pannika and Ms Parina on the suitability of Ms Pannika’s black-and-white pants suit which she wore to a parliamentary session, and a row between Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul and Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) deputy spokesman Thanakorn Wangboo nkongchana who argued over the allocation of cabinet seats.

Mr Anutin posted messages saying “Ministries are meant for people to get to work, not for trading;” and “the Transport, Public Health, Tourism (portfolios) are not changeable”, on his Facebook account in the wake of reports that PPRP wants to reclaim a number of key seats in the cabinet that it had promised to its coalition partners.

Mr Thanakorn, apparently in response to Mr Anutin who owns a huge construction firm, wrote messages on his Facebook which said: “Ministries are meant to be workplaces for people, not workplaces for companies. Right!”

He also wrote: “Ministries are meant to work for the people and, more importantly, not to be influenced by a company seeking [contractual] work. Right!” “Ministries are changeable if they work for the benefit of a company. Right!” and “These ministries are not being traded, but the choice of a suitable minister must be such that there cannot be accusations that the appointment benefits a company.”

Another social media war that drew criticism from the public erupted when appointed senator Porntip Rojanasunand took to social media to allege that Ms Pannika’s black-and-white pants suit broke the code of conduct and was disrespectful to the late chief royal adviser Prem Tinsulanonda, who had just died.

Dr Pornthip’s view that Ms Pannika’s outfit went against tradition spawned a flurry of online comments from the pro-establishment camp, including Ms Parina.

Ms Parina wrote on her Facebook account, using a derogatory prefix for a woman’s name before “Chor”, Pannika’s nickname.

The feud over a black-and-white outfit later escalated when Ms Parina accused Ms Pannika of breaking the lese majeste law in her graduation photos.

In response, Ms Pannika wrote on her Facebook account, saying Ms Parina was sharing the photos out of context and “witch hunting”. Hashtags #SavePannika which gave Ms Pannika moral support, and #EChorNukPaenDin, which criticised her, were created on Twitter and went viral.

Mana Treelayapewat, dean of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s School of Communication Arts, said the use of social media by politicians to spread hate or for political gain in a uninhibited way is worrisome.

“Politicians are public figures, so they should always remember that they need to be careful when they put their offensive words and actions on social media because it could set a bad example and incite hate and violence,” he said.

Mr Mana compared comments on social media platforms to messages written on toilet walls. But a toilet wall happens to be situated in the middle of a bustling intersection, and can be seen and read by millions around the world.

“If you carelessly post on social media, it might come back one day to bite you. We all need to be responsible for posts on social media because they can also be used as evidence in lawsuits,” Mr Mana said.

Social media has the power to influence political agendas and mobilise supporters.

However, it is a double-edged sword as it reaches people fast and can arouse their emotions, rather than critical thinking.

POL COL SIRIWAT DEEPOR