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BANGKOK: Thai police arrested a 60-year-old jobless man Tuesday for allegedly sending text messages deemed to be insulting to the monarchy, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail, officials said.
Ampon Tangnoppakul is accused of sending four messages to important people, including Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, in May this year.
The messages "are inappropriate and considered insulting to the monarchy and have upset the recipients," the Central Investigation Bureau said in a statement, without revealing the content of the texts.
Local media reported that Ampon is a member of the anti-government "Red Shirt" movement behind a two-month mass protest in central Bangkok that was broken up by the army in May.
The suspect, who was arrested at his home near Bangkok, has admitted to owning the mobile telephones involved but denies sending the messages himself, according to police.
Lese majeste, or insulting the royalty, is a serious charge in Thailand. Anyone can file a complaint and police are duty-bound to investigate it in a country where the king is treated with almost religious adulation.
-AFP/wk
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