British Tourist Warned Over Criticism of Thailand Online

[John Drake]

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The idea that a vlogger or blogger needs a work permit and posting online videos is subject to visa restrictions and work permits is preposterous... 

 

Some of them are admitting to crimes that have nothing to do with general opinions about Thailand. If someone makes a youtube video about their building and operating a bar while restricted from doing so on a tourist visa, then they are going to get arrested. The same if someone brags about bribing authorities and the police about owning land and property. Same if someone goes on video and talks about coercing sexual favors from a young boy. If someone does these things, they are going to get in trouble. 

[timendres]

On 5/2/2024 at 3:42 AM, richard_smith237 said:

The Barbra Streisand effect.....     

... the unintended consequence of attempts to hide, remove, or censor information, where the effort instead increases public awareness...

 

Thailand is great at this....  No one would have heard of this guy, now they push him further into the public eye.

 

Should authorities also punish themselves for making his videos reach a greater audience ???

 

 

The juvenile minds of those in authority seeking 'revenge' rather than whats best for the country again.... Also, if the guy's criticism are genuine and valid... listen to them, act upon them.... 

 

SO correct. The channel has 2.5k subscribers. Almost NO one was watching those videos.... until now.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

 

I see the food blogger didn't bother to mention the multiple violations of tourist visa restrictions, work permits, and other even more serious matters.

 

Maybe because he stuck to the point, which was the Brit was warned about his posts. That's what good writers do. 

[richard_smith237]

40 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Some of them are admitting to crimes that have nothing to do with general opinions about Thailand. If someone makes a youtube video about their building and operating a bar while restricted from doing so on a tourist visa, then they are going to get arrested. The same if someone brags about bribing authorities and the police about owning land and property. Same if someone goes on video and talks about coercing sexual favors from a young boy. If someone does these things, they are going to get in trouble. 

 

Understandable...   if someone is doing as you state above and V-Logging about them operating a bar etc... they'd be stupid to do so without first ensuring they have the right paperwork....   

One who springs to mind is a guy called Tom Birch (TikToker) who has a bar and sells some sort Kratom mixed soft drinks...   he's a prolific poster and makes an absolute knob of himself, but he's somewhat successful... successful enough to draw attention I'd imagine, and with that sort of attention I'm sure he must have his ducks in a row with regards to work permits and licenses etc.

 

But, I agree with what you state: If V-Loggers are 'publicly announcing' their illegal activities, such as bribing officials, then I imagine these official are going to respond very quickly as soon as they get wind. 

 

But... Is it just the V-Logger who gets penalised for brining Thailand into disrepute, or also the official they bribed  ??? 

 

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

40 minutes ago, John Drake said:

 

Some of them are admitting to crimes that have nothing to do with general opinions about Thailand. If someone makes a youtube video about their building and operating a bar while restricted from doing so on a tourist visa, then they are going to get arrested. The same if someone brags about bribing authorities and the police about owning land and property. Same if someone goes on video and talks about coercing sexual favors from a young boy. If someone does these things, they are going to get in trouble. 

 

Those things you list are illegal activities. Criticising something is not. There's an obvious difference. At least there is unless you're in Thailand.

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Those things you list are illegal activities. Criticising something is not. There's an obvious difference. At least there is unless you're in Thailand.

 

In Thailand, publicly criticising something or someone can be illegal IF someone takes offence and decides to file Defamation charges... 

 

The 'public statements' or 'Videos' can be 100% factual and true...  all that has to be proven is the 'intent to public bring someones name into disrepute'.... 

 

...  that's one the key issues with one of Thailands most abominable laws which protects those acting in the wrong or illegally.

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

16 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

In Thailand, publicly criticising something or someone can be illegal IF someone takes offence and decides to file Defamation charges... 

 

The 'public statements' or 'Videos' can be 100% factual and true...  all that has to be proven is the 'intent to public bring someones name into disrepute'.... 

 

...  that's one the key issues with one of Thailands most abominable laws which protects those acting in the wrong or illegally.

 

 

 

The key here is that you said someone. This person did not, as far as I know, criticise a person or business, but the less savoury aspects of the culture. He touched a nerve, as every Thai is raised from birth to believe that everything about their country is perfect, and when someone comes along from overseas and says that, actually, it isn't as perfect as you have been brainwashed to believe, it's like the emperor's new clothes being shown as fake.

 

And I believe that is why the authorities don't like us long-stayers here. We speak the truth instead of turning a blind eye, and that is a no-no here. Of course, every Thai knows that their country isn't the paradise they are told it is. They are fully aware of the things that are wrong, but instead of doing anything to fix it they go into denial. And that is exactly why things change so slowly here, if at all. If you deny there is a problem, then no-one is going to fix it.

[pub2022]

Well done Thailand!

Why do all these dicxheads come to Thailand and start criticize the country on Youtube?

Why don't they stay home and try to save their <deleted> up western country instead?

[transam]

6 minutes ago, pub2022 said:

Well done Thailand!

Why do all these dicxheads come to Thailand and start criticize the country on Youtube?

Why don't they stay home and try to save their <deleted> up western country instead?

In the USA they are called "Frauditors", who are generally low-life useless people who have found a way of earning a few quid ($) via YouTube.

Which is one of the downsides of the introduction of the modern smartphone....🥴 

 

These creeps are even trying it in the UK, Australia etc, though I have seen a few now being in court, for there interfering with folk. 🤗

[0ffshore360]

1 hour ago, transam said:

In the USA they are called "Frauditors", who are generally low-life useless people who have found a way of earning a few quid ($) via YouTube.

Which is one of the downsides of the introduction of the modern smartphone....🥴 

 

These creeps are even trying it in the UK, Australia etc, though I have seen a few now being in court, for there interfering with folk. 🤗

The original concept of "auditor" with the intent to focus on proper conduct by public "officials" in their application of assumed authority in exercising duties has indeed increasingly being questionably deligitimised .

Creating confrontation simply to generate a response to the satisfaction of the "auditor" is tediously immature, unproductive and without any recognizable merit at all Sam.

 

[transam]

32 minutes ago, 0ffshore360 said:

The original concept of "auditor" with the intent to focus on proper conduct by public "officials" in their application of assumed authority in exercising duties has indeed increasingly being questionably deligitimised .

Creating confrontation simply to generate a response to the satisfaction of the "auditor" is tediously immature, unproductive and without any recognizable merit at all Sam.

 

I guess you would know all about these tools, do you have a YouTube channel..?..🤗

[Robert Paulson]

Ting tong 

[JensenZ]

On 5/2/2024 at 3:42 AM, richard_smith237 said:

The Barbra Streisand effect.....     

... the unintended consequence of attempts to hide, remove, or censor information, where the effort instead increases public awareness...

 

Thailand is great at this....  No one would have heard of this guy, now they push him further into the public eye.

 

Should authorities also punish themselves for making his videos reach a greater audience ???

 

 

The juvenile minds of those in authority seeking 'revenge' rather than whats best for the country again.... Also, if the guy's criticism are genuine and valid... listen to them, act upon them.... 

 

They would be advised to consider how much this YouTuber will trash Thailand if he leaves voluntarily after their warning/threat A young guy his age will hardly spend the rest of his life in Thailand. You can find videos trashing every country on Earth.

[jacko45k]

On 5/2/2024 at 9:16 AM, actonion said:

Just wondering, if you get kicked out of Thailand do they pay the  Air fare. ?.. it may suit some if so....

I doubt it..... people seem to spend time o\in a jail cell until they accumulate some credit, or someone else coughs up.

[Aussie999]

On 5/3/2024 at 1:09 PM, theblether said:

 

You don't have freedom of speech in Thailand. Get over it. 

that's not the point... you are part of the problem... think of thais

[Purdey]

Makes one wonder if the police ever browse ASEAN Now. Hmm.

[bristolgeoff]

All I can say is just like China you are being watched so be warned

[mrmaehongson]

The guy seems to have issues, BUT disturbing to see how toxic certain sections of the Pai "hippie" community have become. There's been a concerted effort to shame this guy on Ourpaifamily, really extremely twisted, never seen anything like it elsewhere in Thailand. All the more amusing given the self important, holier than thou attitude of long stay Pai tourists. I understand why all the old timers have left.

[rankric]

Cried his eyes out in the follow up video.

[praguecr]

On 5/2/2024 at 2:58 PM, Ben Zioner said:

So if I follow your brilliant course of thought, UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, aren't democracies either.

and if I follow your brilliiant course of thought Mr. Smart A**, the countries you listed do have any real power over the political establishment.

[praguecr]

On 5/2/2024 at 3:03 PM, Hummin said:

So a Kingdom is not a dictatorship? 

 

Saudi Arabia is a Monarchy 

 

In some circumstances, monarchies are also considered dictatorships if the monarchs hold a significant amount of political power. Hybrid dictatorships are regimes that have a combination of these classifications

I did not say it is or is not a dictatorship. I simply stated it is a Kingdom. You can interpret this however you please.

[Ben Zioner]

13 minutes ago, praguecr said:

and if I follow your brilliiant course of thought Mr. Smart A**, the countries you listed do have any real power over the political establishment.

Been mulling this over for three weeks and blew your top at breakfast?