October 3, 2011
BANGKOK (AFP) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Monday she had decided to take a break from Twitter, after her account was taken over by a hacker who mocked and criticised her.
Authorities said they were searching for the anonymous hacker who posted eight tweets on Sunday morning after apparently using a mobile phone to access the premier's @PouYingluck account.
Yingluck said the attack was a "violation of people's personal rights" and the account was "temporarily suspended".
The sister of ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra was lambasted on a variety of subjects in the tweets, including her response to recent serious flooding in the kingdom and a number of key government policies.
One of the false tweets questioned a high profile promise to give tablet computers to schoolchildren, saying it was no substitute for education reform, while another accused Yingluck and her government of cronyism.
"How can she protect the country, if she cannot protect her own Twitter account? Think about it," said the final post.
Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) minister Anudith Nakornthap told AFP the hacker had first gained access to Yingluck's email before taking over the Twitter feed and changing the password.
"We have some clues which will lead to a hacker. Authorities will find further evidence that will lead to an arrest," he said.
For now he said the Thai leader will limit her social networking activities to her official Facebook page, which has almost 400,000 supporters.
The username @PouYingluck refers to the Thai leader's nickname, Pou, which means crab.
