CityNews – Police released a statement on the arrests of two University students, Haripat Pupansamrit and Surapong Khaopong who had been found responsible for circulating images of themselves naked in many public places around Chiang Mai via a Twitter account with over 50,000 followers.
Haripat admitted to the crime. He claimed that he originally posted the photos to a private forum. Later, the photos were published online elsewhere. He insisted that the photos were intended to be artistic, and that he chose areas where there were few or no people and selected them for scenery or lighting. He didn’t intend to do anything obscene, and also blurred his face out.
Haripat added that people in the private forum would specify a time and place each day to meet and take photos, and that both male and female, gay and straight joined in.
Haripat explained that gay groups in Chiang Mai also set up a “winter festival” in the area behind Chiang Mai City Hall at night. There they meet and find someone to have sex with at that location.
The police warned teenagers that they should conduct such behaviour in their own personal places, not in public or touristy areas. They added that sexual activity and the circulation of lewd photographs taken in culturally significant locations are a disgrace to places of importance. They added that Chiang Mai is welcoming the ASEAN at the end of this year, and that such activity cannot be tolerated.
The man appearing in a photo that began circulating last week has yet to be identified.