BANGKOK,Thailand issued a warning on Saturday against the production of online material that risks offending the country’s monarchy, after a video by a social media influencer promoting the e-commerce platform Lazada infuriated royalists who believed it was a parody of the palace.
If found guilty of defaming, insulting, or threatening King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his immediate family, Thai law stipulates sanctions of up to 15 years in prison per offence.
The video, which has since been removed, promoted Lazada’s sale on May 5 and included a lady in a wheelchair dressed in a traditional Thai costume portraying the role of an influencer’s mother.
Royalists alleged that the wheelchair-bound lady was a veiled allusion to a member of the royal family. The video neither employed the language of the royal family nor mentioned any members of the royal family.
In videos released on Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), the influencer, Aniwat “Nara” Prathumthin, said that the film was a spoof of a popular Thai soap drama and that the apparent royal insult was “all in your head.”
In a statement, Lazada, the Southeast Asian division of Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) Group Holding, apologised for the “emotional harm” the video had caused and said it could have been more cautious.
Such information, according to government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, has the potential to harm the reputation of companies.
Thanakorn stated in a statement, “Let us remind marketers, influencers, and content producers to be cautious when providing material or promotions that reference appearances or personalities of the institution that all Thais revere and respect.”
“This is unacceptable and will not only offend every Thai in the nation, but it will also harm the brand’s image and reputation. It may also be a violation of the law.”
The incident stems from an April Fool’s joke posted by a Thai Vietjet Air employee, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s Vietjet Aviation JSC, about a new route to Munich, which angered royalists who believed it was a jest about the Thai monarch spending time in Germany. The airline issued an apology.