A red-shirt musician from Phetchabun was arrested early Wednesday for allegedly disseminating a fake Royal Household Bureau announcement.
Phetchabun core red-shirt leader Krit Bootdeejean is suspected of releasing online a fake royal document. He is questioned by national police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang at the Royal Thai Police heaquaters before being taken into custody for seven days under martial law at an army camp. (Photo by Thanarak Khunton)
The statement, claiming to be the bureau's 13th statement, was disseminated online including on the website of ASTV Manager on Monday night. It displayed a royal Garuda emblem on its letter head and an official stamp from the Royal Household Bureau at the bottom. However, the statement and the stamp were later found to be fake.
Police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thawornsiri said the suspect, Krit Bootdeejean, a 26-year-old deputy leader of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, had been taken to the 11th Infantry Regiment of the King's Own Bodyguard in Bangkok pending further investigation into whether he produced the document or simply posted it on Twitter.
Police are preparing to charge him with lese majeste under section 112 of the Criminal Code and breaching the Computer Crime Act. Further details would be announced later at a press conference, he said.
National police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang, who led the interrogation of Mr Krit, said the suspect confessed to receiving the document from a red-shirt associate and posted it online as he believed the announcement was new and wanted to share it with his online friends. He said he later removed the post after becoming suspicious about the document's authenticity.
Police would further investigate if he was involved in the production of the forged royal announcement, Pol Gen Somyot said.
A team of military and police officers reportedly raided a house on Sammakkhi Chai Road in Muang Phetchabun district at 2am where it was believed the document was put online.
Mr Krit was using his notebook computer when authorities arrived and took him to Bangkok. The team seized the computer, a tablet computer, mobile phone and CDs containing red-shirt propaganda songs.