A senator has accused 2 netizens of “bullying” him online and threatened them with a defamation lawsuit. The move follows last Thursday’s parliamentary vote, in which the Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat failed in his PM bid.
Out of 249 senators, only 13 voted for Pita, with 34 voting against him and 159 abstained. There were 43 senators who didn’t even show up. So some younger, online-savvy supporters of the 8-party coalition, including Move Forward, have turned their attention to the Senators and targeting them online.
Angry MFP supporters have been venting their frustration online, using the hashtag #senatorsbusiness to call for a boycott of businesses owned by senators who voted against Pita, abstained, or failed to show. #senatemistresses was also trending with angry netizens deciding to ‘out’ some of the Senators and their extra-marital affairs.
Nation Thailand reports that one of those businesses is Bangkok’s Seree Market on Rama IX Road, owned by Seree. He has responded by saying a boycott wouldn’t affect his market as vendors will continue selling and customers will still come to the market to shop.
He has described the outcry on social media as a “witch hunt”, as he slammed 2 online users in particular. He claims their posts have damaged his reputation and says his lawyer will file a defamation suit at Talingchan Criminal Court.
“This time we need to get serious against these keyboard hooligans for intimidating and bullying us too much. They use abusive words and make false allegations against us.”
Seree says his lawyer is also prepared to hear the cases of other senators targeted by the online “bullies” and will gather information in each case before filing defamation lawsuits.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
