'They can't do business like this': Thailand threatens to 'close down Facebook'

Thailand's minister for digital media said Monday that he plans to take to court to shut down Meta's social media platform Facebook in Thailand if it fails to take action over scams that have affected over 200,000 people in recent times.

Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn told the international media agency Reuters: "We are asking the court to close Facebook, not allowing it to provide services in Thailand if they let these fake pages scam people."

The ministry had repeatedly urged Facebook for advertisements it had identified as scams to be taken down but no action was taken, and it would seek court intervention now, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society told the media.

Meta did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Ministry spokesperson Wetang Phuangsup said officials were currently gathering evidence of wrongdoing by Facebook that would be presented before the court.

He added: "If there is a lot of wrongdoing, the court could close down pages and accounts. Or the court could close the entire platform."

Scams on Facebook included luring users to invest in fake companies, faking government bodies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and trading in digital currencies, the ministry said.

"They can't do business like this," Chaiwut said.