ThaiMythbuster · @thaimythbuster
31st Mar 2021 from TwitLonger
Consider it a joke from the Dictator, Aprils fools day VERBOTEN!
Thailand’s paranoia over so-called ‘fake news’ appears to have scuppered the plans of anyone wishing to partake in some lighthearted fun on April 1st.
On Wednesday, killjoys at the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) advised people in Thailand against sharing April Fool’s jokes online and said anyone that does so could be breaking the law.
Posting an April Fool’s joke could be considered as deliberately sharing fake news, the TCSD warned, and may be in breach of Thailand’s strict Computer Crimes Act.
While April Fool’s day is celebrated in many countries around the world, it is not considered part of Thai culture, Channel 7 reported.
Because posting an April Fool’s online could be considered as deliberately and knowingly posting ‘fake news’, which is against the law in Thailand, it means that for all intents and purposes April 1st pranks are off limits.
The TCSD also reminded netizens that anyone in breach of the Computer Crime Act regarding the deliberate sharing of so-called ‘fake news’ faces up to five years in jail and/or a fine of up to 100,000 baht.
The news is a blow to the team at Thaivisa which over the years has been quite partial to sharing April Fool’s Day pranks.
However, following the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand’s tech police have stepped up their warnings against sharing April Fool’s pranks online.
For this reason, Thaivisa will not be sharing an April Fool’s joke this year.
Readers will have to make to do with the usual selection of news from around Thailand, some of which could perhaps seem like an April Fool’s, but we can assure you it isn’t.