BANGKOK — An elder sister of His Majesty the King on Friday came under a slew of online insults – from members of the pro-monarchy faction.
The wave of criticism followed Princess Ubolratana’s online post in which she said freedom of expression should be upheld, a remark seen by some as a disapproval of a crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
One of the disparaging posts was published by the Facebook account belonging to Pop Thanainun Thanintsinsakul, a man whose profile cover appears to be an anchor on a certain TV channel.
The person accused the princess of forgetting Rama IX’s teachings and advised her to think of the Royal Family before making political comments.
Thanainun later said his Facebook was hacked, and he denied any involvement in the incident. His account is now deactivated.
Songklod Chuenchupol, better known as “Captain Poo Kem,” a neo-monarchist who runs a Facebook page with more than 100,000 followers, posted a photo of Princess Ubolratana on Friday with a scathing caption.
“When you were a teenager, you made your parents sad. Now that you’re old, you’re plotting to destroy your family and the country,” he wrote.
Songklod also wrote an insult regarding the way Ubolratana dressed in the photo.
“She said herself we could criticize her,” Songklod added. Many of his supporters also criticized Ubolratana in the comments.
Uboratana relinquished her royal status when she married an American in 1972, though King Vajiralongkorn said in a statement in 2019 that she is still considered part of the Royal Family.
In a reply to a netizen asking for her opinion on the ongoing protests and “harassment of citizens,” Princess Ubolratana wrote on Thursday, “All citizens have the right to demand and express their voice because the country belongs to the citizens.”
Note: Some parts were removed from this article due to legal concerns.
