A claim has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter that an emergency decree issued in Thailand due to the novel coronavirus pandemic included a strict curfew.
Part of the post’s Thai-language text graphic translates to English as:\xa0\n\t“Emergency Decree Announcement, don’t panic, please follow these guidelines:\n\t*Don’t leave the house between 8pm-5am\n\t*Between 5am-8pm, can’t travel across provinces except for medical staff”, Below is a screenshot of the misleading post:, A similar claim\xa0was\xa0also shared on Facebook here, here, here and on Twitter here, here and here., The claim is\xa0false., Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s announcement on March 25, 2020, filmed by\xa0national broadcaster ThaiPBS, did not include a curfew., The full decree, seen here on the official website of the Royal Gazette, did not\xa0mention\xa0a nationwide curfew. The decree did, however, issue 16 directives, including\xa0closing points of entry into the kingdom and prohibiting the hoarding of goods. The decree went into effect on March 26, 2020., The Thai government also released an official statement here clarifying that no curfew was imposed under the emergency decree., “The government has explained the details and rules of the Emergency Decree on Government Administration from March 26 - April 30, 2020. No curfews have been announced,” part of the statement reads in English., Below is a screenshot of the government’s release:, , Copyright © AFP 2017-2020.  All rights reserved.  Users can access and consult this website and use the share features available for personal, private, and non-commercial purposes.  Any other use, in particular any reproduction, communication to the public or distribution of the content of this website, in whole or in part, for any other purpose and/or by any other means, without a specific licence agreement signed with AFP, is strictly prohibited.  The subject matter depicted or included via links within the Fact Checking content is provided to the extent necessary for correct understanding of the verification of the information concerned.  AFP has not obtained any rights from the authors or copyright owners of this third party content and shall incur no liability in this regard.  AFP and its logo are registered trademarks.
Thailand’s emergency decree to combat COVID-19 did not include a curfew in March 2020 | AFP Fact Check