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Model Weeraya Sukaram’s coronavirus comment sparks Twitter war between Thais and Chinese nationalists
- An online spat began after Weeraya shared a Twitter message questioning whether the virus originated in a Chinese lab
- The row united pro-democracy campaigners in Asia against pro-Beijing users, with insults and mocking memes flying
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Social media anger from Chinese nationalists over a Thai internet model’s comments has set off a regional storm uniting pro-democracy campaigners against pro-Beijing cyber-warriors, with insults and mocking memes flying back and forth.
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The quarrel, which has seen Southeast Asian internet users join forces with those in Taiwan and Hong Kong, has highlighted old tensions between China and its smaller neighbours fanned by the emergence of the new coronavirus.
Political analysts and activists said the online row, which started at the weekend, was unique in volume and regional spread at a time when ever more of life has been forced online.
“This is the first transnational geopolitical Twitter war Thais have engaged in,” said Prajak Kongkirati of Bangkok’s Thammasat University.
“We see people questioning China’s actions and influence … The celebrity issue is the tip of the iceberg.”
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Related Twitter hashtags generated more than two million tweets and trended globally. A fan page for the main hashtag, #Nnevvy, has more than 63,000 Facebook followers.
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