(Updates with man arrested for Facebook post)
By Panu Wongcha-um and Kay Johnson
BANGKOK, March 24 (Reuters) - Thailand's leader said on
Tuesday he would invoke sweeping emergency powers in the face of
surging coronavirus infections, and in a sign of toughening
official action a man was arrested over allegations of creating
panic on social media.
Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia were among Southeast
Asian countries accused by New York-based Human Rights Watch of
using the pandemic to crack down on criticism. Both countries
reject the accusations and say their measures are needed to keep
order and combat disinformation.
Thailand has the region's second highest number of virus
cases after Malaysia, with a total of 827 after 106 new
infections were reported on Tuesday. Four people have died.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who first seized power in
a 2014 coup, said he would invoke powers to help suppress the
virus that has swept the world since January, killing some
16,500 people and infecting more than 375,000.
The emergency decree is due to take effect on Thursday and
Prayuth said details of the specific powers to be used would be
set out later. Among the powers in the decree is that "to censor
or shut down media if deemed necessary."
Prayuth ruled by decree until an election early last year
which opponents say was engineered to keep him in office, an
allegation he denies
Other regional leaders have also taken on additional powers
and ordered emergency security measures.
The Philippines congress granted President Rodrigo Duterte
extra powers overnight as infections also soared there and
across the region - rising more than 20-fold across Southeast
Asia to more than 4,500.
'POST CREATED PANIC'
With growing concern in Thailand over the spread of the
virus, the government said a man had been arrested after posting
false statements about a lack of coronavirus screening at
Bangkok's main international airport.
"The post created panic for the public and eroded their
confidence in Suvarnabhumi Airport," the ministry of digital
affairs said.
Artist Danai Ussama, 42, posted that he had gone through no
health screenings and been given no instructions by officials
when he arrived on a flight from Barcelona. He was charged under
the Computer Crime Act, punishable by up to five years in
prison.
The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said Ussama was granted
bail later on Tuesday and would appear in court on May 12.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch accused Southeast Asian
countries of using the virus as an excuse to crackdown on
dissent, saying that 17 people had been arrested in Cambodia
over social media posts. "What these government ministers forget is in the era of
COVID-19, they need the cooperation of the people to share
information and act responsibly, and slamming people into prison
will achieve the exact opposite," said the group's deputy Asia
director, Phil Robertson.