Authorities in Thailand say a young man has confessed to hacking into the Twitter account of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and posting a series of disparaging messages.

Information Minister Anudith Nakornthap presented the young man at a news conference Wednesday. He said Ekawit Thongdeeworakul has expressed remorse and offered to use his skills to help the ministry fight websites that insult the monarchy.

Anudith said Ekawit turned himself in after police identified his computer as the source of the hacking. He said the man may be charged under the Computer Crime Act, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison.

The hacker used Ms. Yingluck's Twitter account to criticize her administration on a variety of subjects, including her response to serious flooding and key government policies.

In the last of eight posts, the hacker wrote, “How can she protect the country, if she cannot protect her own Twitter account? Think about it.”

Thailand has been criticized for using the Computer Crime Act and its lese majesty laws to suppress freedom of expression on the Internet.