Thailand charges 12 for FB post

BANGKOK: Twelve people arrested earlier this week for sharing a Facebook post about the alleged rape of a British tourist have been charged and bailed, their lawyer said on Friday.

The 12 individuals have since Tuesday been hauled down to the tourist island of Koh Tao after allegedly sharing a post detailing the woman’s allegations and criticising local police. The 19-year-old UK national, who has since returned home, told British media that she was drugged and raped while holidaying on the island.

Her account has been disputed by Koh Tao police, who say a rape complaint was not formally filed. Winyat Chatmontree of United Lawyers for Rights and Liberty told AFP the 12 hailed from all over the country, including the capital Bangkok.

"They were accused of sharing false information", Chatmontree said. Charged under Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act, the group were accused of "committing together the crime of disseminating, broadcasting, and sharing false information," he said.

They were all released on Thursday night on a bond of 60,000 baht each. They face up to five years in prison if found guilty, said Chatmontree. Arrest warrants have also been issued against the administrators of two public Facebook pages which shared posts about the alleged rape, said deputy tourist police chief Surachet Hakpan. Neither of the people sought are in Thailand, he added. Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act is a broadly worded law which forbids uploading "false data" online.