Activist charged in Thailand for ‘inappropriate’ royal history post

BANGKOK, Oct 08 (AP): A Thai pro-democracy activist has been charged over an "inappropriate" social media post, police said Tuesday, as authorities use a tough cyberlaw against perceived critics of the powerful monarchy.

Police arrested 25-year-old Kan Pongprapapan late Monday and charged him with violating the Computer Crimes Act after a Facebook post touching on the turbulent lives of world-famous royal families.

The charge carries up to five years in jail.

Kan, who was later released on bail, did not mention Thailand's ultra-wealthy monarchy, which is shielded from criticism by one of the harshest royal defamation laws in the world.

The law heavily restricts reporting on cases involving the monarchy inside a country where all media must self-censor when discussing the unassailable institution.