• Chiang Mai
  • International
  • National
  • Food & Drink
  • Bars/Nightlife
  • Sports
    • Rugby in Chiang Mai
    • Golf in Chiang Mai
Search
39.3 C
Chiang Mai, TH
Monday, March 20, 2023
Chiang Mai News – Daily News Stories From Chiang Mai & Thailand
  • Chiang Mai
  • International
  • National
  • Food & Drink
  • Bars/Nightlife
  • Sports
    • Rugby in Chiang Mai
    • Golf in Chiang Mai
Home National Twitter Suspends Account Linked to Palace & Thousands of Other Accounts
  • National

Twitter Suspends Account Linked to Palace & Thousands of Other Accounts

By
Editor
-
November 30, 2020
Share
LINE
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
ReddIt
    Twitter Suspends Loyalist Account

    Social media platform Twitter has now suspended a pro-royalist account linked to the palace that a Reuters analysis found was connected to thousands of others accounts created in recent weeks spreading posts in favour of His Majesty the King and the monarchy.

    A Reuters review found tens of thousands of tweets that an expert said appeared to be from accounts amplifying royalist messaging in a push to counter a months-long protest movement that has swelled from opposing the government to breaking a longstanding taboo by challenging the monarchy.

    Internal army training documents reviewed by Reuters showed evidence of a coordinated information campaign designed to spread favourable information and discredit opponents.

    The pro-monarchy @jitarsa_school account was suspended after Reuters sought comment on Wednesday from Twitter on the recent royalist campaign on the social media platform, where protesters have long had a strong presence.

    Protesters and royalists have cited the importance of social media in propelling the protest movement, which has become the biggest challenge in decades to the monarchy as well as the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

    Created in September, the @jitarsa_school account had more than 48,000 followers before its suspension.

    “The account in question was suspended for violating our rules on spam and platform manipulation,” a Twitter representative said on Sunday. She said the suspension was in line with the company’s policies and not a result of the Reuters request for comment.

    The account’s profile had said that it trained people for the Royal Volunteers programme. A Facebook page for the Royal Volunteers School, which posts pro-monarchy videos and news of the programme, also identifies the Twitter account as its own.

    Neither the school nor the Royal Volunteers headquarters responded to requests for comment on the suspension. The “Volunteer Spirit 904” programme was established during the King’s reign, which began in 2016, to build loyalty to the monarchy.

    The palace did not respond to a request for comment. It has a policy of not speaking to media and has not commented since the start of protests in July that initially targeted the government before breaking taboos by calling for curbs to the King’s powers.

    In recent weeks, royalist hashtags have begun trending on Twitter, an important platform for opponents of the government even before protests began in July.

    The Reuters analysis found that more than 80% of the accounts following @jitarsa_school had also been created since the start of September. A sample of 4,600 of the recently created accounts showed that all they did was promote the royalist hashtags – an indication of the kind of activity that would not be associated with regular Twitter users.

    A sample of 559 retweets of the account’s tweets were virtually all from accounts with bot-like characteristics, according to research by social media consultancy Drone Emprit for Reuters.

    “Government forces have been trying to counter the protesters,” said Saijai Liangpunsakul of the independent Social Media Monitoring for Peace group. “Twitter has taken down some accounts, but there are many more.”

    Hashtags promoted by the suspended account, usually alongside pictures of the King and other royals, included those that translate as: #StopViolatingTheMonarchy, #ProtectTheMonarchy, #WeLoveTheMotherOfTheLand, #WeLoveTheMonarchy and #MinionsLoveTheMonarchy.

    Royalist group leader Warong Dechgitvigrom declined to comment on the account’s suspension, saying he was unaware of it.

    He told Reuters there were more pro-monarchy messages on Twitter because royalists increasingly recognised the need to counter-protesters’ messages and had encouraged each another to join the platform.

    “Pro-monarchy hashtags are authentic, born out of true feelings,” he said.

    Royalists have accused protesters of inauthentic activity on Twitter, with coordinated campaigns around hashtags.

    But Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, one of the protest leaders, said protesters using the platform were genuine and he welcomed the suspension of the pro-royalist account.

    “They’re not recruited to trend hashtags like the army and they don’t use taxpayers’ money,” he said.

    Although not directly linked to the @jitarsa_school account, a 28-page army document reviewed by Reuters showed an organised information operation to target “opponents” and spread pro-monarchy messages on Twitter.

    The document says 17,562 Twitter accounts run by 9,743 army officers are split into a “White Team” and a “Grey/Black Team” that were instructed to tweet with coordinated hashtags, as well as to like, retweet and follow one another.

    The document suggests measures to appear more like authentic accounts.

    The army on Saturday acknowledged the document is genuine, saying in a Facebook post it was used in a training session to strengthen the army’s public relations efforts.

    In early October, Twitter announced it had taken down 926 accounts linked to the army for violating its platform-manipulation policies by amplifying pro-government content and targeting political opposition figures.

    The army at the time denied that the accounts belonged to army officials.

    • TAGS
    • Twitter Account Suspended
    Share
    LINE
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Google+
    ReddIt
      Previous articleGovt Steps Up Border Security & Vows to Prosecute Smugglers After New COVID-19 Case
      Next articleChiang Mai Told to Stay Calm – COVID-19 Case Update
      Editor

      RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

      Uncle Roger Review GORDON RAMSAY Thai Papaya Salad
      Featured

      WATCH: Comedian Uncle Roger slams Gordon Ramsay’s Thai papaya salad in new video

      Chinese Tourists Thailand
      National

      Zero-dollar tourism not a concern for tourism sector in Phuket

      Petrol Station
      National

      Excise tax cut on diesel fuel to be extended until May 20th

      Chiang Mai One

      Latest Posts

      Chinese Tourists Thailand

      Zero-dollar tourism not a concern for tourism sector in Phuket

      January 19, 2023
      Rangsiman Kingkaew, a board member of the Phuket Tourist Association, told Thai media that it will take time for Chinese arrivals in Phuket to...
      Petrol Station

      Excise tax cut on diesel fuel to be extended until May 20th

      January 19, 2023
      The Thai cabinet has decided to extend the excise tax cut on diesel fuel for an additional four months, to ease the financial burden...
      Chinese Arrive in CM

      What the return of Chinese tourists means for the global economy

      January 19, 2023
      In the years before Covid, China was the world’s most important source of international travelers. Its 155 million tourists spent more than a quarter...

      Central bank claims phone charging cables cannot be used to steal data

      January 19, 2023
      The Bank of Thailand and the Thai Bankers Association (TBA) have dismissed a widespread suggestion on social media, claiming that a charging cable can...

      Chinese New Year 2023 celebrations and activities around Thailand

      January 19, 2023
      In 2023, Chinese New Year is on 22 January and celebrations are being held on and around this date. Bangkok and Central Region Chinatown Chinese New...

      Bamboo Motorbikes Rental Chiang Mai

      Krusty’s Bar & Grill

      Underground Graphix CNX

      PRIME Football Development Centre

      ABOUT US
      Chiang Mai One brings you the latest news, views and information covering Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand.
      Contact us: editor@chiangmaione.com
      FOLLOW US
      © Copyright Chiang Mai One 2018-2019. About| Privacy policy | Copyright policy
      Edit with Live CSS
      Save
      Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete.