This article was published on October 3, 2011

Thai Prime Minister’s Twitter account hacked


Thai Prime Minister’s Twitter account hacked

A Twitter hacker caused chaos in Thailand after gaining access to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s account.

The account was compromised for around twenty minutes on Sunday, during which eight tweets critical of the government and its policies, including the below – translated by Asian Correspondent – were sent.

Is it time already that our country changes for the better, not just for looking good for the pictures in order to capitalize for their own corporations, relatives and the others who benefit.

Thailand needs change! It’s time that everybody in this country wakes up! The stupidity must end!

If she cannot protect her own Twitter account, how can this country be protected then? Think about it…

Shinawatra, who is the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister in Thailand, used social media to help grew her reputation and visibility during her successful election campaign. Since taking office in August, she has continued to make extensive use of Twitter and Facebook to communicate with the media and issue public statements.

The Thai government claims to know the identity of the perpetrator of the breach, according to the Jakarta Times, prompting theories that the hacker may be one of the Prime Minister’s own team, or that her passwords were leaked by individuals close to her.

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The account – @pouyingluck – is currently suspended, although her Facebook Page remains open as usual.

Use of social media in Thai politics is not new. Shinawatra’s predecessor Abhisit Vejjajiva, of the rival Democrat Party, enjoyed a strong following on Facebook and was once ranked as one of the top ten most popular world leaders on Twitter. His now unused Prime Ministerial account still enjoys close to 250,000 followers.

UPDATE: the Prime Minister’s team has confirmed that she will not longer be using Twitter, however her Facebook Page will remain open and updated as usual.

Image via Facebook

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