Thais turn to Twitter to criticise royalty

Thailand rang in the new year with the Twitter hashtag #IslandsShutdown, after the authorities closed off parts of the popular southern islands for a year-end visit by Princess Sirivannavari, King Maha Vajiralongkorn's youngest daughter.- Reuters

BANGKOK (The Straits Times/ANN): No longer content to just whisper in private settings their views on the monarchy, Thais are now openly discussing, and at times criticising, the royal family despite harsh laws.

With the authorities closely monitoring Facebook, more people in Thailand - where over 4.1 million Twitter accounts are registered - are venting via tweets, while hiding behind fake names and photos, often of K-pop stars.