61-year-old charged with sedition for publicising army park scandal online

Thai police have charged a 61-year-old woman with sedition for criticising the military government over the army’s royal park corruption scandal.

According to Thai News Agency, on Monday, 30 November 2015, Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathaworn, acting commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, held a press briefing on the arrest of Jutathip Verochanakorn, a 61-year-old woman who posted information about corruption allegations surrounding Rajabhakdi Park.

Matichon Online reported that Jutathip reported in at Phra Khanong Police Station in Bangkok after she was informed of the allegations against her by the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD).

The TCSD alleged that Jutathip posted false information together with defamatory messages referring to individuals in the government concerning the graft scandal related to the park.

The accused admitted that she posted the alleged information on 24 November 2015. She, however, told the police that she did not produce the information herself, but took it from other online sources without checking.

She said that she did not know that it could be illegal to post such information on social networks, adding that she is disappointed by the governance of the junta.

At the briefing, Pol Lt Gen Sanit told the media that the police have charged Jutathip under Article 116 of the Criminal Code, the sedition law, and Article 14 of the Computer Crime Act.

If found guilty of sedition alone, Jutathip could be imprisoned for up to seven years.

Article 116 of the Criminal Code states that whoever makes apparent to the public by words, writing or any other means anything which is not an act within the purpose of the constitution or which is not the expression of an honest opinion or criticism (a) in order to bring about a change in the laws or the government by the use of coercion or violence, (b) in order to raise confusion or disaffection amongst the people to the point of causing unrest in the kingdom, or (c) have people violate the law, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding seven years.

On Monday morning, military officers detained Nattawut Saikua and Jathuporn Prompan, two key leaders of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), the main faction of the anti-establishment red shirt movement, while the two were travelling to Rajabhakdi Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province to investigate corruption allegations surrounding it.

The two have now been released.

The construction of Rajabhakti Park, a theme park featuring gigantic monuments of seven prominent past monarchs, was constructed by the Thai military. The project, costing about a billion baht (about 28 million USD) was overseen by Gen Udomdej Sitabutr, the current Deputy Defence Minister and former Army Commander-in-chief.

After pressure from the public about alleged corruption, the military government set up an internal committee within the Royal Thai Army itself to probe the allegations.

A second investigation committee headed by Gen Preecha Chan-o-cha, the younger brother of Gen Prayut, the junta leader, was appointed last week after the first army probe committee concluded that there was no evidence of corruption in the park construction.

The conclusion of the first investigation committee contradicts the statement of the Deputy Defence Minister who in early November admitted that the project was rife with corruption.

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