Thai police warned Thai internet users on Monday that “liking” or expressing approval of anti-military junta messages is a crime.

Pol Maj Gen Amnuay Nimmano, Deputy Commander of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, said liking or expressing approval of messages which ask people to join anti-junta activities is a crime because it helps publicize the messages.

The Thai authorities have constantly warned Thai internet users that sharing and liking lèse majesté Facebook pages constitutes a crime itself as a violation of Article 14 of the Computer Crime Act, which states that whoever disseminates illegal content on a computer system shall face a maximum jail term of up to five years.

The Thai Netizen Network (TNN), an NGO for internet freedom, has argued that internet users should not be held liable for sharing a link because they do not have control over the content on the webpage which can be changed without their knowledge.

“Making links, sending links and publicizing links are the heart of the internet. The connections between networks are impossible without links. If sharing links is criminalized, it will obstruct the fundamental functions of the internet and affect public interests,” said the TNN statement “Click Like is No Crime”, published on 30 May 2011.