Tampered bank notes are declared invalid

BANGKOK, 8 June 2010 (NNT) -The Bank of Thailand has declared the tampered 100-baht bank notes circulated mainly in the Northeast invalid. Users are also subject to prosecution by related laws, with life imprisonment as the maximum penalty.

The tampered bank notes carrying a lèse majesté text claiming that fugitive ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is the reincarnation of King Taksin the Great with a pledge of allegiance have been widely circulated in the Northeast. Commercial banks now refuse to accept them as legal tenders. People are advised to be careful and make sure that they are not handling invalid bank notes.