Royal forgery suspect questioned

The first suspect in the release of a forged statement from the Royal Household Bureau on His Majesty's health has been arrested. He is a 25-year-old musician from Phetchabun.

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The first arrest in the royal forgery case was made by soldiers, not police. The 25-year-old Phetchabun man was then handed over to police for questioning. That is national police spokesman Prawuth Thawornsiri on the right. THANARAK KHUNTON

Police, military question royal forgery suspect

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A 25-year-old musician from Phetchabun was arrested Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the release of a forged statement from the Royal Household Bureau about His Majesty the King's health, police said.

Krit Butradeejin is identified by police as "among the first people" who shared the forged statement. The statement, claiming to be the bureau's 13th statement, was disseminated online on Monday night.

The suspect, who has unclear links to the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), initially faces charges of lese majeste and violating the computer crime law.

National police chief Somyot Phumpanmuang, who personally questioned Mr Krit following his arrest, said the suspect admitted to posting the document but denied having anything to do with its content.

Krit Butradeejin, who began his political protest career as a singer at red shirt rallies is questioned by national police chief Somyot Phumpanmuang (right) and his deputy Pol Gen Chakthip Chaichinda. THANARAK KHUNTON

He said Mr Krit claimed to have received the statement from a person affiliated with the UDD. He shared it with about 4,000 people on his Facebook page.

According to police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thawornsiri, the statement was also linked to a Twitter account at 9.33pm Monday. Mr Krit is among the first who shared the statement.

A source close to the investigation said Mr Krit was arrested by soldiers enforcing martial law, about 2am Thursday at his home in Muang district. He was taken to police headquarters for questioning. The army then took charge again, and he was escorted to the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bangkok for further questioning in the afternoon.

UDD chief adviser Tida Tawornseth on Wednesday sought to distance the group from the suspect, saying Mr Krit is a sympathiser, not a leading red shirt.

She said the UDD has many affiliates but that these groups select their own leaders, particularly in the provinces. She declined to say if the UDD will provide Mr Krit with legal assistance.

Ms Tida also called on police to take action against the news website that disseminated the statement without verifying its authenticity, saying the site is partly responsible for how quickly the statement spread.

The UDD leader was apparently referring to the website of ASTV Manager, which posted the statement and pulled it down later.

She said the news organisation should have verified the information and its source.

The forged statement scandal follows the arrest of six people involved in the anti-monarchy "Banphot" network, all of whom were charged with distributing lese majeste content.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said a man, identified only as "Banphot", who allegedly runs an anti-monarchy website, is still in the country, possibly being harboured by others, but trying to flee overseas.

Pol Maj Suriya Singhakamol, chief of the DSI's Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime, said Banphot "is an older man with no prior arrest warrants" but provided no specific details.

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