2 celebs admit to beer uploads on Instagram
VJ Woonsen, Ying Yae just 'helping friend'
POST REPORTERS 
Virithipa "VJ Woonsen" Pakdeeprasong and Nonthaporn "Ying Yae" Theerawattanasook admitted Sunday they voluntarily posted pictures of themselves with bottles of Chang Beer to promote the product on their Instagram accounts.
The pair, however, denied being paid by the brewing firm, claiming they only wanted to help a close friend promote the product.
Police did not disclose their friend's name.
Ms Virithipa and Ms Nonthaporn appeared at the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) to testify with deputy police chief Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen about the alleged social media campaign.
Virithipa ‘VJ Woonsen’ tells members of the media that she only wanted to help a close friend promote the Beer Chang product and was not paid for the photo she posted. APICHIT JINAKUL
The probe was launched after the pair and 22 other celebrities were found to have posted photos of themselves holding Chang Beer during the same period on Instagram. All carried similar messages encouraging the public to drink the beer. The incident has raised suspicions of tacit advertising aimed at social media users.
While the brewery denies encouraging the celebrities to push its products, critics see the incident as a subtle social media campaign, using celebrities posting images of themselves with bottles of the beer.
Singer and actor Pakorn "Dome" Lam was among the 24 celebrities.
Seven of them, including Waranchaya "VJ Ja" Chindarakwong and Virithipa, also appeared on Chang's website to promote the beer's new bottle colour.
Pol Gen Pongsapat said police have not yet pressed charges against the 24 celebrities.
The deputy police chief said he will speak on Monday to the Department of Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration to see which sections of the law they may have violated.
If they acted intentionally for a commercial purpose, legal action may be taken against them.
Meanwhile, Sarawut Benjakul, head of the Institute of Legal Education of the Thai Bar Association, said the intention behind the Instagram posts would be key to deciding whether they violated the law.
If they did not intend to encourage the public to drink, they will not face punishment, said Mr Sarawut.
Sunday's story
Anti-alcohol advocates hold placards showing blurred images of celebrities posing with bottles of beer, as they gathered on Friday at the Public Health Ministry to call for a probe into suspected tacit ads spread on social media by Chang Beer. TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD
There are many ways to advertise your alcoholic product, social media users point out. AFP photo
This story is generating a lot of social media comment and there appears to be a big split between our Thai and foreign readers.
Judging from the Post Today Facebook page, Thai readers are generally supportive of the anti-alcohol activist students, condeming the celebrities for being poor role models and thinking only of money. They also talk about the social problems caused by alchohol. The comments following the Bangkok Post story itself and on its Facebook page, mainly from non-Thais, are quite different, pointing to the many examples of how Chang and others get around advertising laws, staging events and even sponsoring an English Premier League football team. Some say, the social media photos are a minor issue and people should be concerned with more important things and not try to impose their own values on others. Others wonder how the law might apply to them.
Police to call 24 celebrities for questioning
ONLINE REPORTERS 
Police will summon 24 celebrities for questioning following complaints they posted on social media their photos with alcoholic drinks.
Deputy police chief Pongsapapat Pongcharoen said police had received a complaint from the Consumer Protection Board Office (CPB) that 24 celebrities had posted photos of themselves drinking or showing Chang beer on social media, Thai media reported on Saturday.
Some of the celebrity photos posted recently (and then deleted).
"They might have violated Section 26 of the 2008 Alcoholic Beverages Control Act and face a jail term not more than one year or a fine not more than 100,000 baht, or both," he said.
Members of the public who do so will face the same penalty, he said.
If text is added, they might violate Section 32 and could be punished by imprisonment not more than one year or a fine not more than 500,000 baht, or both.
Police have asked the CPB to give them more information for the prosecution, he said.
CPB chief Ampon Wongsiri said in the next step it will be established whether the brand owner was involved. (Yesterday, the company vigorously denied it was behind the photos).
Thai laws ban advertising alcoholic drinks with product pictures or logos aimed at attracting people to drink.
Kittisak Klabdee, secretary to the Public Health Minister, on Friday said the ministry was collecting evidence and investigating the Chang Beer company's website and Instagram accounts as well as those of the celebrities.
The move comes after the Network of Alcohol Marketing Strategy and the Youth Network on Friday gathered at the Health Ministry to submit a complaint letter and urged the ministry to take legal action against the beer company and celebrities.
Dr Kittisak said the celebrities were likely to face punishment even though they denied being paid for the Instagram posts.
The photos posted online clearly featured bottles of Chang beer and the logo with a message encouraging people to drink, he said.