No military officials will shop on Lazada, declares Army chief
In reaction to an “offensive” TikTok advert, Thai Army chief General Narongpan Jitkaewtha on Monday ordered all military units to stop buying goods on the Lazada shopping platforms.
He also ordered officers to stop any delivery trucks from entering military complexes.
“Military officers can buy goods from other e-commerce platforms, but they will have to pick up their purchases outside,” a military press release said.
The presser added that Lazada delivery trucks were previously allowed to enter the Royal Thai Army complex in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district.
Separately, the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry has said it will sue all parties involved because the advertisement is seen as an insult to the monarchy. DES Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn has reportedly ordered officials to collect evidence before the case is handed over to the Technology Crime Suppression Division.
Meanwhile, prominent activist Srisuwan Janya, who is also secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution, has lodged a complaint against influencer Aniwat Prathumthin or Nara Crepe Katoey, Intersect Design Factory and Lazada Thailand for creating an ad that mocks the disabled and the monarchy.
The TikTok ad, part of Lazada’s 5.5 sales campaign, was posted on Wednesday and had been created by Aniwat and Thidaporn “Nurat” Chaokuwiang. Soon after it was posted online, the clip – depicting a woman in a wheelchair being bullied by another character of noble birth – sparked an uproar on the net.
The #BanLazada hashtag almost instantly became top trending on Thai Twitter, with netizens slamming Lazada for mocking disabled people and the royals. Many royalists also threatened to remove the Lazada app from their mobile devices.
However, Lazada issued an apology on Friday, saying that this was “an unacceptable mistake”.
“We fully recognise that the content was hurtful and demeaning to human dignity. As soon as we became aware of the incident, we immediately demanded the post to be taken down,” the statement said.
“Our brand does not condone the mockery of others including those with disabilities. It is absolutely unacceptable and a breach of Lazada’s value of being respectful and inclusive.”
Meanwhile, Intersect Design Factory Co, which had hired the influencers to promote Lazada’s campaign, said the duo have issued a public apology and taken responsibility.
