Lazada boycott was to protect the monarchy, says Army chief
Thai Army chief General Narongpan Jitkaewtha insisted on Tuesday that he had banned Lazada in a move to protect the monarchy.
On Monday, Narongpan ordered all military units to stop buying goods on Lazada and stopped all Lazada delivery trucks from entering military complexes.
The Army chief’s action was in response to a controversial TikTok ad posted last week to promote Lazada’s 5.5 sales campaign. The ad was created by influencers Aniwat Prathumthin, also known as Nara Crepe Katoey, and Thidaporn “Nurat” Chaokuwiang. The clip – depicting a woman in a wheelchair being bullied by another character of noble birth – sparked an uproar on the net.
“I’m doing my duty as the Army chief to cherish, protect and defend the key institution of Thailand,” Narongpan said, adding that protecting the monarchy was every Thai’s duty.
“A person with a distorted body should not have a distorted mind,” Narongpan said in what is believed to be a reference to the transgender influencer.
The Army chief added that though the influencer was exercising her right to free expression, she should ensure that exercising her rights does not affect others.
