Airline could face criminal charges for April Fool’s tweet at Thai king’s expense

Vietjet joked it was launching a flight between Nan and Munich

Vietjet could have fallen foul of strict Thai defamation laws (AFP via Getty Images)

An Asian budget airline could face criminal charges for an April Fool’s Day Tweet.

Vietjet tweeted on 1 April that it was launching a new flight between the Thai province of Nan and Munich in Germany.

The ill-advised joke fell flat, sparking the ire of royalists, who threatened to boycott the carrier in response.

Although the tweet, now deleted, did not refer to Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn by name, many assumed it was referencing his frequent stays in Germany with Royal Noble Consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, who was born in Nan province.

The King gave Ms Wongvajirapakdi the title shortly after his coronation in 2019 - the same year he married his wife, Queen Suthida.

It refers to a companion of the King who is not his wife, and this was the first time it had been bestowed on anyone in nearly a century.

The airline has since apologised for the tweet and said the staff involved have been suspended pending an investigation.

“I would like to apologise to the Thai people once again for such incident,” said Vietjet CEO Woranate Laprabang.

However, the punishment may be more severe if police find that the social media post fell foul of Thailand’s strict “lese majeste” laws, which mandate that defaming the monarchy is a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Lawyer and activist Srisuwan Janya, who is notorious for filing complaints, lodged one with police, accusing Vietjet of royal insult and computer crimes.

He said in a Facebook post that the tweet “showed intent to offend”.

A police spokesperson said they were investigating “all the facts” to determine “whether there was any criminal intent”.