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Published on September 13, 2007

The Law Council of Thailand lawyer, who asked not to be named, said he was approached by the suspect's family to help her seek bail because her family had financial constraints.

The 37-year-old woman was reported to be the second person to have been arrested under the Computer Crime Act, which came into effect on July 18. The first suspect was a male webmaster widely known in the cyber community as "Phraya Phichai".

According to the lawyer, the woman was charged under articles 14 (1) and (2) which prescribe punishment of a maximum of five years' imprisonment or a Bt100,000 fine for posting false content on the Internet with the intent to harm others and public security. These were the same charges that Phraya Phichai, now freed on bail, had faced.

The lawyer said the woman told him that she was charged because she posted messages urging people to vote no in the referendum on the draft constitution last month.

About 20 police officers raided her house in Pathum Thani on the morning of August 24 and seized her notebook computer without producing a search warrant, said the lawyer.

The arrests of the two suspects were the first time police exercised their power under the new Computer Crime Act.

Supinya Klangnarong, secretary-general of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform, voiced concerns over the case, saying that the law gave extreme powers to police.

Police are able to seize computers belonging to people they suspect of disseminating insulting or pornographic content, or content deemed to be detrimental to public security.

Supinya wants the next government to amend the act.

The Nation