Hanoi (VNA) – Thailand’s Ministry of DigitalEconomy and Society announced on August 30 that it will establish a 24-hourfact-checking centre to handle fake online news.

The ministry said the centre, comprising four sub-committees,will open soon. The four sub-committees will work on fact-checking in issuesincluding natural disasters, economic issues, government policies, social orderand national security, among others.

Minister of Digital Economy and Society BuddhipongsePunnakanta said that fact-checking is important as false news can create hugeimpacts on the safety of people's lives and property.

He added that he will meet digital platform providers to seektheir cooperation in order to set clear guidelines and standards for thefact-checking centre.

On August 19, Thailand proposed that tech companies set up centresin each of the 10 ASEAN countries to curb the flow of “fake news” and fakeaccounts, said secretary-general of Thailand’s National Broadcasting andTelecommunications Commission Takorn Tantasith.

The Thai official said suchcentres would also work as a shortcut for governments to flag misinformationmore easily to providers of digital service done through the internet, so thatthey could comply by taking it down faster.

Other Southeast Asian governments have also recently madeefforts to exert more control over online content and taken a tough stanceagainst misinformation.

Singapore passed an anti-fake news bill in May, forcingonline media platforms to correct or remove content the government considers tobe false.-VNA