Bangkok: The House Military Affairs Committee meeting has brought to light discrepancies between the armed forces' information operations and a recent court ruling.
According to Thai News Agency, the committee, led by Mr. Ramadhan Panjor of the People's Party, revealed that the armed forces' stance on their information operations contradicted a civil court decision. The court had ordered the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) to remove certain posts and compensate Angkhana Neelapaijit, a human rights activist, for damages in a case involving the dissemination of false information. The committee is now preparing to scrutinize the military's field operation manuals for further details.
Mr. Ramadhan, who is also a member of the House Committee on Military Affairs, explained that representatives from the armed forces and related agencies were invited to the meeting to provide clarification. They asserted that they were not engaged in information operations targeting civilians. Despite this, Mr. Ramadhan pointed out several concerning issues, such as social media attacks involving distorted facts and media attacks by information operations. The Civil Court's ruling in Angkhana's appeal case contradicted the armed forces' claims, as the court mandated ISOC to rectify the false information and compensate Angkhana.
Mr. Ramadhan expressed skepticism over the armed forces' assertions, noting that security agencies have a history of conducting such operations. He emphasized the committee's intention to closely monitor these cases and has suggested a review of the relevant field manuals on psychological and information operations to ensure they align with established principles.