BANGKOK, April 1 – The police have warned people not to release fake news on the April Fool’s Day amid the crisis of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Pol Col Kritsana Pattanacharoen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, said people with ill intentions could not cite the April Fool’s Day on April 1 as an excuse to release false information in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
April Fool’s Day refers to an annual custom of hoaxes and practical jokes.
“Fake news can confuse the society and shock people during the COVID-19 situation,” he said.
Any offence by inputting false information into a computer system would be decisively tackled and violators were liable to a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine of up to 40,000 baht for breaching the executive decree on public administration in emergency situation and a jail term of up to five years and/or a fine of up to 100,000 baht for failing to comply with a computer crime law, Pol Col Kritsana said.
Pol Col Siriwat Deepor, deputy commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, issued a similar warning. He said April Fool’s Day jokes were prohibited during the COVID-19 crisis because the government was implementing strict measures to control the disease and handle related situations. (TNA)
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