Thailand

Royal Thai Army denies claims about Twitter campaign to spread pro-government propaganda

Published

7 months ago

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Caitlin Ashworth

PHOTO: Nation Thailand

Following a shutdown of 926 Twitter accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army, documents were leaked of what appears to be a contract between the Army and a private company supposedly hired to spread pro-government propaganda.

Army chief Narongphan Jitkaewtae denies the claims and says the Army never hired a company to spread pro-government propaganda through the Twitter accounts.

Last month, Twitter announced that it had suspended 926 accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army for violating the social media company’s “platform manipulation” policies.

A report by Stanford Internet Observatory’s Cyber Policy Centre says the Army used Twitter to “cheerlead” with pro-government propaganda. The report says the Army used Twitter to criticise the now disbanded Future Forward Party and neutralise criticism after February’s mass shooting where an Army soldier killed 30 people and injured 57 others.

Former Future Forward Party spokesperson Pannika Wanich says members of the opposition plan to sue the Army for “using tax money to cause divisions and hatred among Thais.”

SOURCE: Nation Thailand

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News Categories: Thailand

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12 Comments

Issan John

Thursday, November 26, 2020 at 5:52 pm

Sounds like the British Army’s 77 Bde, working on “attitude and sentiment awareness” and “behavioural influence” on social media … not that they’d ever do anything underhand, of course …

Reply
- Toby Andrews
  
  Thursday, November 26, 2020 at 6:10 pm
  
  Same old excuse for the Thais John. The west do it, or did do it, so it is alright for the Thais.
  926 twitter accounts closed down because they cheerlead pro government propaganda.
  926 A massive corruption exercise! Now they only have you to cheer lead the Thai government . . .
  
  Reply
  - Issan John
    
    Thursday, November 26, 2020 at 7:08 pm
    
    Not suggesting it’s “alright” for anyone … you really do live in a fantasy land.
    
    … or, more accurately, in Cambodia where Hun Sen, the dictator who runs and owns the country, has just put 130 of the opposition on trial for being the opposition … but, of course, that’s fine with you as unlike Thailand he hasn’t thrown you out.
    
    Reply
    - preesy chepuce
      
      Thursday, November 26, 2020 at 10:23 pm
      
      What’s the difference between Cambodia, and the rest of southeast asia? budget?
      
      Reply
      - Toby Andrews
        
        Friday, November 27, 2020 at 11:48 am
        
        Well preecy, athough it is chaotic, and backward, after awhile I saw the Cambodians were decent people. It is rare that a ferang will be swindled.
        And true it is cheap. Beer fifty cent a glass in some places. And Paris style bistros.
        Crystal chandeliers.
        Thailand has some good points – but I cannot think of any at the moment.
        There must be something!!!
      - Issan John
        
        Friday, November 27, 2020 at 3:53 pm
        
        You’re right – “budget”.
        
        It’s cheap, with a minimum wage of a third of Thailand’s
        – when they last protested about it the demonstrators were shot in the street, with 4 killed and more than 20 injured.
        
        … and, according to Toby A, a bonus is that Cambodia allows farangs to stay without visas or passports – for a fee, needless to say, as corruption there makes Thailand’s pale into insignificance and Thailand’s visa regulations are rather stricter.
        
        They’re not allowing in any tourists at the moment, but it has an appeal for a certain type of tourist despite the crime levels – Paul Gadd tried to extend his stay, but he was a bit too well known.
    - Toby Andrews
      
      Thursday, November 26, 2020 at 11:51 pm
      
      ANOTHER FEEBLE EXCUSE. for Thais.
      attacking my opinion because I am in a dictatorship in Cambodia.
      W4ell I was not thrown out of Thailand. I left when I saw what the Thai were likely to do.
      I was right . . .
      
      Reply
Toby Andrews

Thursday, November 26, 2020 at 6:13 pm

Caption for the picture of the Army General above.
AND THE LIES WE TOLD WERE THIS BIG!
.
.

.
.LOL

Reply
Alan

Friday, November 27, 2020 at 6:09 am

And everyone is supposed to believe the military. Starting to look like Myanmar.

Reply
Suua

Friday, November 27, 2020 at 7:13 am

Not a difficult choice really…..believe an internationally renowned organisation, Stanford Internet Observatory’s Cyber Policy Centre, or the internationally renowned corrupt Thai army generals.

Reply
Fabian

Friday, November 27, 2020 at 9:14 am

It’s a choice between losing face and losing facing even worse for this mister. I like the picture in the caption though. It really expresses to me he is just telling fantasies.

Reply
Mike

Friday, November 27, 2020 at 9:14 am

Of course they deny it – we all know it’s true though

Reply

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Caitlin Ashworth

Caitlin Ashworth is a writer from the United States who has lived in Thailand since 2018. She graduated from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies in 2016. She was a reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette In Massachusetts. She also interned at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia and Sarasota Herald-Tribune in Florida.