No Plans to Shut Down Facebook in Thailand, Says New Digital Minister

[webfact]

 

Thailand – The New Minister of Digital Economy and Society has suspended any previous plan to shutdown Facebook in Thailand.

 

In a late afternoon press conference on August 21st, 2023, former Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwat Thanakamanusorn stated that his ministry is planning to seek a court order to shut down Facebook in Thailand for allegedly failing to take action on numerous scams, frauds, and fake ads created by users. There have been over 200,000 victims of fraud on Facebook from various ads, fake marketplace scams, and other fraud. This totalled over ten billion baht in financial damages to users affected.

 

The New Minister of the Digital Economy and Society Mr. Prasert Chantararuangthong told TPN media this week. “Many Thai people are benefitting from Facebook more than online scammers.

 

There are more than 45 million Facebook users in Thailand. Many run small businesses and use Facebook live to market their products and services. It is the primary communication tool for many businesses as well.”

 

By Adam Judd

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/09/10/no-plans-to-shut-down-facebook-in-thailand-says-new-digital-minister/

 

-- THE PATTAYA NEWS 2023-09-11

 

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[Bim Smith]

They would have had a riot if they had gone through with this. Insane idea.

[2baht]

What IS Facebook? ????

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The New Minister of the Digital Economy and Society Mr. Prasert Chantararuangthong told TPN media this week. “Many Thai people are benefitting from Facebook more than online scammers.

Someone with some common sense... 

[hotchilli]

13 minutes ago, 2baht said:

What IS Facebook? ????

Should be named FacePalm

[Andycoops]

The previous Muppet was merely stamping his feet before throwing his toys out of the pram as benefits a loser.

[findlay13]

The land of backflips.But I'm glad they have come to their senses over this .

[Tom H]

Facebook?

Face? Manipulated by filter!

Book? They never read a book!

 

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

This isn't news as it was never going to happen. The outgoing minister just wanted his name in the media, although why he wanted to go out looking like an idiot is difficult to understand.

[newbee2022]

57 minutes ago, Tom H said:

Facebook?

Face? Manipulated by filter!

Book? They never read a book!

 

 

 

Though......there are bank books......????

[AustinRacing]

Shutting down police stations because of corrupt cops? No no can’t do that. Many police benefit from it. 

[klauskunkel]

Oh look, it's a U-turn

[AhFarangJa]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Should be named FacePalm

I call it Farcebook.....

[AhFarangJa]

5 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

Oh look, it's a U-turn

LOL......who would have believed that here.

[still kicking]

1 minute ago, AhFarangJa said:

I call it Farcebook.....

Why?

[mfd101]

2 hours ago, findlay13 said:

The land of backflips.But I'm glad they have come to their senses over this .

No, this is a case of the new Government reversing the (proposed) stupidity of a Minister of the previous government.

 

Exactly what new governments are for.

[Muzzique]

Great job, have a stupid idea, spend a lot of money to plan for it then throw the idea away. Taxpayers money well spent as usual.

[spidermike007]

Maybe the new administration has better sense than the failed Prayuth govt. That would be amazing. You might even be able to label that as progress! 

[crazykopite]

It was a non starter there would of been mass demonstrations on the streets 

[neeray]

I've never had an attempted scam effort from my Facebook account.

But then I've never had a Facebook account either.

 

[RichardColeman]

As a toy collector I regularly spend 10,000 baht up a month on FB (bought something 5k yesterday), but I only buy from people that I have many of the same friends with. Have I been caught out , yeah , maybe 600 baht in 8 years on a punt, but I can live with that. since it makes up such a small amount of what I have spent.

 

Only a complete idiot spends big money with people that they do not know without mutual friends or invest in whimsical investment schemes.

 

Thieves are the issue, not the platform. You do not shut down an entire open market as someone fleeced you for some expensive dodgy flip-flops !

 

 

 

 

[sammieuk1]

So what date will it be shut down ????

[Kaopad999]

I mean, he does have a point. I don't necessarily think they should ban Facebook, as it would only hurt the genuine sellers, but Facebook certainly needs to get their act together. There are tons of scammers and fake ads on there these days. I've reported quite a few fake sellers, but their fake profiles are still active

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, Muzzique said:

Great job, have a stupid idea, spend a lot of money to plan for it then throw the idea away. Taxpayers money well spent as usual.

How was it planned that cost 'a lot of money' to do? You've made a statement of fact, now back it up with evidence please. As far as I know, an outgoing minster made a statement about an action that he was never going to carry through, but you apparently have more insight into what that cost than the rest of us do.

Or did you just make it up, the same as the ex-minister did?

[Bangkok Barry]

29 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Thieves are the issue, not the platform. You do not shut down an entire open market as someone fleeced you for some expensive dodgy flip-flops !

This reflects what I've said before, and it applies to all social media. The companies are not to blame, it is the people who mis-use it. Whatever humans invent, it is certain to be corrupted because we are a flawed species.

[sambum]

At last, someone with some foresight, something usually lacking in Thai Government!

Usually, the answer is an ill thought out knee jerk reaction to a problem without any thought to the consequences.

For instance, a few years ago, a rail employee who was high on drugs, raped and murdered a young girl and threw her off the train. The answer - stop the sale and drinking of alcohol by everybody travelling on trains!!! Goodness knows how much revenue this has lost the Thai Railways System - I used to use the service regularly from Surat Thani to Bangkok, but after that ridiculous decision have stopped using Thai trains, and I know a few of my friends who are of the same mind!!!

The closing down of Facebook in Thailand would have been a disaster for the economy, and the outgoing Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwat Thanakamanusorn   is travelling in the right direction - OUT! 

 

[Krabi King]

Educate people instead ... or ask Facebook to shut itself down as a whole ????

[Sydebolle]

Minister of the Digital Economy and Society Mr. Prasert Chantararuangthong might be a sharper knife in the Thai government drawer than his predecessor. 

It is possibly the most ridiculous idea to close down Facebook as Thailand has literally nothing to say in the operation of Facebook. What they can do is to block access to Facebook from a Thai IP server which would create havoc among the millions and millions of Thais who waste their working hours on "friending" and "liking" all that carp which flies around on Facebook these days. While it took 3+ months to formulate a new "government", you can take it to the bank that it will take 24 - 48 hours to unseat the present leadership due to afore-mentioned addiction to all these social media offerings. 

The problem is not Facebook but the very own (Thai) citizen who cheat on all the others. So get more transparency, educate your citizen before the fall victim. 

Closing Facebook is dealing with the symptoms but not with the root of the problem which is, once more again, their own loving fellow citizen! 

[FlorC]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

The New Minister of the Digital Economy and Society Mr. Prasert Chantararuangthong

Since the new government , more p0rn sites are blocked .

So this guy : Mr. Prasert Chantararuangthong is doing it ?

Shut down facebook , yeah !

Don't touch the naughty sites .

VPN is slower.

[retarius]

Don't shut them down, fine them billions of dollars or baht if you are feeling generous.