E-commerce firm Shopee in Thai twitter storm for banning anti-government store

By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat

 

The building housing the office of e-commerce platform Shopee in Singapore February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Tim Chong/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - E-commerce firm Shopee has reversed a ban on a store linked to a dissolved opposition party in Thailand, a spokeswoman said, after online criticism of its perceived pro-government stance.

 

#BanShopee became the third highest trending hashtag with over 57,000 uses on Saturday and many Twitter users saying they’ve deleted the app.

 

“Double standards @ShopeeTH,” wrote Twitter user @chanson_2013. “You need to explain why you banned the stores of those advancing democracy but allow businesses who are pro government to sell on your platform.”

 

Shopee, a unit of Tencent-backed Sea Ltd, is the latest business in Thailand to be targeted by pro-democracy campaigners for appearing to support the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.

 

The campaign also comes a week ahead of the crucial online shopping event, 10.10.

 

“Our platform is neutral, and everything is up to company policy,” a Shopee Thailand spokeswoman told Reuters, adding that its policies were applied equally to all sellers.

 

Companies in Thailand are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate political division. In August, after calls for a boycott, Burger King and others pulled advertisement off the Nation television, which activists branded as pro-government.

 

Shopee says Democstore had violated its terms several times before the ban for posting "politically sensitive" material.

 

Democstore is run by the Progressive Movement, a group founded by banned politicians from upstart opposition Future Forward party, which was dissolved in February.

 

“We were selling urban camping equipment for the protesters and we were banned,” Progressive Movement spokeswoman Pannika Wanich told Reuters.

 

DemocStore said it would continue selling t-shirts and mugs with the group’s logo on the chat app, Line.

Anti-government memorabilia are fast becoming hot items online.

 

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Christina Fincher)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-04

 

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3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

“Our platform is neutral, and everything is up to company policy,”

Apparently not so.

Hypocrites!

Don't like Shopee at all.......!

3 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Don't like Shopee at all.......!

Please say why.

53 minutes ago, stouricks said:

Please say why.

Chinese 

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

“Our platform is neutral, and everything is up to company policy,”

 

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Shopee, a unit of Tencent-backed Sea Ltd

Tencent being a Chinese government controlled company one has to wonder how neutral they are 555

57 minutes ago, Suua said:

Chinese 

And on which PC/phone are you communicating with us? Where was it made?

4 minutes ago, stouricks said:

And on which PC/phone are you communicating with us? Where was it made?

My device is made in Vietnam.

1 minute ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

My device is made in Vietnam.

So are you saying that NOTHING you use is made in China?

My device was "made in Britain" 

1 hour ago, Mavideol said:

 

Tencent being a Chinese government controlled company one has to wonder how neutral they are 555

All the better reason to boycott them. Knowing this I can say I will never touch their platform and will ask my kids to stay away from it as well. 

Everything, and I mean everything I have bought off Lazada is shipped from China too. I wonder if anything is Thai made.

 

How does one decide, as a shopping portal, whether something is 'politically sensitve'? EBay UK selling Boris Johnson facemasks, or maybe Jeremy Cornyn ones? Politically sensitive, good grief. You are a shopping portal, yes, you have limits on what you can permit to be sold, presumably within the laws of the country in which the seller resides. Can one advertise alcohol in Saudi Arabia? I would think not. Buddha images for overseas sale in Thailand, no again...

 

Urban camping gear for use in Thailand? Why not? January sales coming soon... Might need a tent or sleeping bag.

2 hours ago, stouricks said:

And on which PC/phone are you communicating with us? Where was it made?

It’s who controls the company, not where it’s made 

34 minutes ago, Redline said:

It’s who controls the company, not where it’s made 

So I guess I cannot buy my PG Tips from them, shucks!

3 hours ago, stouricks said:

And on which PC/phone are you communicating with us? Where was it made?

Korea 

8 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

All the better reason to boycott them. Knowing this I can say I will never touch their platform and will ask my kids to stay away from it as well. 

Suppose do actually buy something from them then they start tracking you on other platforms. Like your Youtube account being inindated with shopee spam adds for example.???? Shopee is worst of the worst in my opinion. 

11 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Don't like Shopee at all.......!

 

11 hours ago, stouricks said:

Please say why.

 

10 hours ago, Suua said:

Chinese 

 

8 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

All the better reason to boycott them. Knowing this I can say I will never touch their platform and will ask my kids to stay away from it as well. 

 

@ChrisY1, @Suua, @holy cow cm

 

What online shopping alternative is there in Thailand, that you use?

On 10/4/2020 at 4:30 PM, stouricks said:

So I guess I cannot buy my PG Tips from them, shucks!

There are plenty of tips on TV

LG (Lifes Good) make phones in Vietnam....or Korea.  That will be my next cell phone....soon.  Shopee isn't a patch on Lazada, which is owned by the Alibaba guy.

9 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

LG (Lifes Good) make phones in Vietnam....or Korea.  That will be my next cell phone....soon.

My LG phone packed in after two years. The Huawei is still going strong after four!   LOL