NAKHON RATCHASIMA: A 15-year-old girl was arrested and fined after making krathong baskets featuring cartoon characters that were ordered by undercover copyright police.
The girl, who gave her name as "Orm", said that her family was shocked by the police sting operation.
She had intended to produce flower-patterned floats for this weekend's Krathong Festival to raise some money to help with her schooling, and offered the service via Facebook.
She had many customers, and then one customer specifically ordered cartoon characters on the floats. When she delivered them at a local department store last Friday it turned out the order was placed by copyright police, who were waiting for her.
"After receiving the order, I made krathong baskets from 8am to 1.30am the next day so that I could fill the order, only to be arrested," Orm said.
"Normally I do not make any basket with a copyrighted character. This customer stressed they wanted copyrighted characters. After being arrested I cried all night because I have never faced such legal action before.
"I want to know why they had to do this to me," the young teenager said.
Her father, Thawatchai Polhaeng, said the undercover agent ordered 136 krathong baskets with famous cartoon characters and his daughter delivered 30 baskets. The agent frightened his daughter and imposed a fine of 50,000 baht.
Her grandfather was a former policeman and later managed to negotiate the fine down to 5,000 baht, he said.
The chief of Muang Nakhon Ratchasima police station confirmed the incident occurred and that copyright agents and police were involved in the sting operation.
Media reported the girl priced her baskets at 17 baht apiece.
