Spokesman claims that attempts to correct misconceptions and inform the general public are over-the-top.
PUBLISHED: 1 May 2025 at 20: 27
According to Maj Gen Winthai Suwaree, the army has been providing facts to correct false information on social media but does not conduct online military-style information-influencing operations ( IO ).
At a gathering of the House Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy and Reform, a spokeswoman for the Royal Thai Army made the comment.
Representatives from various organizations, including the Office of Policy and Planning, Internal Security Operations Command, and Royal Thai Police, also showed up to understand their responsibilities in the reported use of Dai, also known as” coordinated inauthentic behavior.”
The committee chairman, Rangsiman Rome, the group deputy president, said Dai was not a new topic because it has been raised numerous times since the coup government of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, when Twitter exposed and removed IO techniques used against activists, academics, and politicians.
Mr. Rangsiman claimed that these procedures have rather become more aggressive in response to fears that they will end under the present civilian-led government.
He emphasized that the country’s use of IO goals both opposition parties and official figures within the state itself.
He vehemently opposed using citizens ‘ funds to promote fake news or hate speech online because it could lead to division among users, which is incompatible with the military’s objective of maintaining national unity.
He noted that international defense issues may be justified. National surveillance is jeopardized, however, by using these tools internally and treating some Thai residents as enemies. Additionally, it lessens the ability of the nation to combat true threats like drug trafficking.
Maj Gen Winthai responded to the council by remarking that the troops did not conduct IO in the manner that critics had criticised.
He explained that while” IO” is a word frequently used in martial settings around the world, especially during war, the Thai army uses regular communication devices, especially online, to correct misconceptions and advance public knowledge, and it does so boldly.
Legitimate tools like the Computer Crime Act or libel laws can be used to combat it, he said, adding that lawmakers and academics could be closely watched because of how much of their influence they have.