Foreign media outlets in Thailand have been criticised and threatened with censorship because of their reporting on King Bhumibol Adulyadej's death and the country's subsequent mourning.

A BBC broadcast was cut mid-air late yesterday during a report about the delay of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn's coronation, with the screen showing a message that the programme will resume shortly. The programme resumed minutes later, but with different news reports.

"This is in compliance with the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission policy to broadcast appropriate programmes during this period of national mourning," television operator TrueVisions told dpa today.

The Thai Foreign Ministry on Saturday issued a statement criticising foreign media outlets for inaccurate reporting of the mourning activities.

"It has been found that some big foreign media have been reporting erroneous or false information and accusations that are of a manipulative and provocative nature," the statement said.

"While there have been reports that thousands of Thais gathered to mourn the loss of King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Royal Palace, the actual number is far greater than what was reported," the Foreign Ministry added, saying that the number was actually "millions".

In other developments, some Thais took to social media to shame others for not wearing mourning clothes or for not expressing their grief over the monarch's death.

The government has urged people to behave respectfully and refrain from posting "inappropriate content" online, the Bangkok Post reported.

Local media also reported incidents in which some social media users shamed others who were posting photos of themselves in bright-coloured clothing during the time of grief.

- dpa