Picture courtesy of KFGO

 

A Bangkok art gallery has controversially bowed to Chinese pressure, scrubbing references to Beijing's treatment of ethnic minorities and Hong Kong from an exhibit.

 

Thailand’s top arts venue, the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre, has removed artworks focusing on China’s policies towards ethnic minorities and Hong Kong after a request from Chinese officials.

 

The exhibit, which addressed authoritarian regimes, had initially featured the work of exiled artists critiquing Beijing. Chinese officials significantly altered key pieces, including a Tibetan artist's multimedia installation, by erasing references to "Hong Kong", "Tibet", and "Uyghur".

 

This development unfolded just days after the exhibit, “Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity”, opened on 24 July. Chinese embassy staff, aided by Bangkok city officials, reportedly demanded the exhibition be curtailed, according to co-curator Sai.

 

An email seen by Reuters from the gallery indicated that the Chinese embassy, via the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warned the exhibition could strain Sino-Thai diplomatic relations.

 

Further diplomatic manoeuvres transpired as Chinese officials called for more removals, pressuring the gallery into further compliance.

 

Neither the Chinese embassy in Bangkok, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry, nor Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration pointed Reuters back to the gallery.

 

The situation drew sharp criticism from rights groups accusing China of harassing critics worldwide, a charge China denies. Sai, currently overseas following a Thai police pursuit, lamented the irony of authoritarian censorship at a show critiquing authoritarian collaboration. He noted Thailand’s history as a haven for dissidents, warning that such conduct sends a worrying message to exiled activists and artists.

 

In a related context, China’s increasing sway in Southeast Asia is evidenced by recent diplomatic tensions, such as Beijing’s unsuccessful bid to block a Philippine documentary screening in New Zealand, highlighting South China Sea conflicts. Reuters reported that external pressure previously led to the removal of the documentary from Philippine festivals.

 

The exhibit’s alterations became starkly apparent when video displays at the gallery ran blank, and artworks by Tibetan and Uyghur artists were visually denuded of references to their creators. Tenzin Mingyur Paldron, a Tibetan artist, denounced China's attempts to isolate Tibetans from international scrutiny by stripping his work of politically sensitive content.

 

As the exhibit continues under the watchful eye of Chinese diplomacy, questions linger over freedom of expression and the power dynamics at play. The controversy spotlights the broader theme of artistic liberties clashing with geopolitical sensitivities.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from REUTERS 2025-08-09

 

warned the exhibition could strain Sino-Thai diplomatic relations

 

So what, expose them for what they are

China seems not to like free speech. Thailand seems to be very much under their thumb.

China says "jump" and Thailand says "How high?"

40 minutes ago, webfact said:

Sai, currently overseas following a Thai police pursuit,

 

Glad to know the fugitive has morals 🤣

3 hours ago, Emdog said:

China says "jump" and Thailand says "How high?"

Unfortunately it is looking more and more like that.

China also seems to be becoming generally more overt in it's attempts at stopping any and all criticism and not caring about any push back.

This funny in a weird way. Thousands of years ago people from South West China came and created what is now Thailand. Obviously China wasn't suitable to meet their needs. Now the Chinese are working their way back in. Ironic.

3 hours ago, Emdog said:

China says "jump" and Thailand says "How high?"

 

 

Tricky to achieve when you sit on the fence most of the time.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

A Bangkok art gallery has controversially bowed to Chinese pressure, scrubbing references to Beijing's treatment of ethnic minorities and Hong Kong from an exhibit.

Guess the truth hurt

Whatever happened to Thailand sovereignty that the Thai military is so committed to protect against even in the slightest innuendo? 

Big Brother is watching you, even in an art gallery.

And....you have to obey.

The Chinese government has never permitted much in the way of free speech at home, but you just wonder how they can get away with squashing free speech in Thailand. Are the authorities truly that timid here, that they won't allow an art exhibition that's critical of communism? That's pretty pathetic and very timid. 

 

Reminds me of someone else in my home country who is scared to death of free speech. 

The influence of China is growing by the day here in Thailand

Pathetic. F them!

A sad reflection on Thailands lack of sovereignty when freedom of expression isn't allowed by a foreign government at a art exhibition, whose is running the country?

 

Clearly in this case it's the corrupt communists in Peking and not the Thai government..

I remember back in the 1960s (and maybe back to the 1950s) until the mid-late 1970s, Thais were banned from travelling to China (Thai passports listed China as an invalid country, for memory).

 

But still, after Chairman Mao's successful victory in 1949, a wealthy Chinese-Thai family were the first overseas/foreign group to open a business in the People's Republic of China (they still have extensive business interests there).

 

In about 1976-77, a Chinese-Thai friend at university in Australia explained to me the simple procedure by which her China-born (with Thai citizenship) father was able to frequently travel into China, via Hong Kong, using his Thai passport (even though Thailand considered such travel illegal).

 

Today, it seems that China is happy to export its workers and criminals to Thailand, and other countries, even if they enter or remain in Thailand illegally.

 

How many hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers and criminals are now illegally in Thailand?  While the Thai authorities go into aggressive overdrive about a few square kilometres of land along the Thai-Cambodia boarder, only token effort is expended to remove the illegal Chinese in Thailand.  Maybe the "kickbacks" received by government officials are too generous.

 

So Photoguy21's post seems valid.

18 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

This funny in a weird way. Thousands of years ago people from South West China came and created what is now Thailand. Obviously China wasn't suitable to meet their needs. Now the Chinese are working their way back in. Ironic.

But it wasn't just "thousands of years ago", was it. I have ethnic Chinese friends here whose parents and/or grandparents fled China not too many years ago and were granted Thai citizenship, it seems. I'm sure many of us know families like that.

Any mention of their occupation of Tibet and invasion of Vietnam?

20 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Whatever happened to Thailand sovereignty that the Thai military is so committed to protect against even in the slightest innuendo? 

Thai "sovereignty" is mostly an illusion because of Thailand's pride in being the only uncolonized countrY in Southeast Asia. Most Thai people understand that China is not subject to negotiations. What they want.....they GET!!!

3 hours ago, MartinL said:

But it wasn't just "thousands of years ago", was it. I have ethnic Chinese friends here whose parents and/or grandparents fled China not too many years ago and were granted Thai citizenship, it seems. I'm sure many of us know families like that.

Yes it was around 9000 years when the people came to what is now Thailand, maybe before that. I suggest you read the history you will find it interesting.

Turns out this incident is much more serious than outlined in the OP. Chinese coercion amounted to strongarming the exhibit. Many layers to this.

 

Quote

Sai: There was an ongoing and transparent dialogue with BACC. They never wanted to censor the exhibition. In fact, the institution showed remarkable courage and professionalism in resisting repeated demands from the Chinese Embassy. But the pressure escalated, with the Embassy visiting in person alongside Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officials. As always, BACC tried their best, but the Chinese Embassy’s demands kept coming, again and again, until compliance was excessively forced. https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2025/08/10/because-i-dont-want-thailand-to-become-a-chinese-vassal-state/ 

 

Odd that Thailand does not insist on the same non-interference in Thai affairs that they demand of Western nations. Between the USA and China, their options would be much more favorable.

Thais kowtow to the Middle Kingdom

Story now running on the BBC -

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6yx71565jo

 

The curators ended up in the UK and now seeking asylum