Couple Charged Over Spreading Rumours About Thai King's Health

Two people in Thailand were arrested over the allegations that they spread rumours about the health state of octogenarian Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, prompting a stock exchange collapse. It is alleged the couple's actions "undermined the security of the nation." The Thai King is 81 years old and has been hospitalized for over a month.

One of the people charged -- Teeranun Wipuchanin was accused of giving an erroneous translation of a Bloomberg article, which lead to stock collapse. It is not clear what Bloomberg article Wipuchanin translated, but an article issued by Bloomberg dating to October 15 describes that the general condition of King Adulyadej is "good." The article did say that the King had to remain hospitalized to "improve his nutrition status and to provide continuous rehabilitation therapies." The article raises a certain level of concern, saying that if the King was to go, it would add "a huge element of uncertainty into the mix." Thai stocks fell a considerable amount on October 14 and 15 as AlJazeera reports. In her defense, Wipuchanin says she merely translated the article.

The other person arrested was Kata Pajajariyaponga, a stock broker. He and Wipuchanin were charged for damaging national security by posting false information on the Internet. Both are facing five years in jail if convicted. There may be fines applied too.

But, Thailand is not the only country where the state of national leader's health is such a sensitive topic. Juts recently, two journalists were detained and fined in Morocco over allegedly issuing false statements about the health of Moroccan King Mohammed VI.