Are We Living In Thailand In An Invisible Prison?

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE

Are we living in an invisible prison?

By Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

There are times when some incidents in Thailand remind this writer of another society in a land far away. This was the case when virtually every mainstream mass media ignored certain "wires" about Thailand that were carried in WikiLeaks.

On December 15, a friend called urging me to read WikiLeaks reports on the ruling elite, links for which were available on the online version of England's Guardian newspaper.

"Do it before it gets blocked," was my friend's instruction.

A few days later, out of sheer curiosity, I called another fellow journalist, asking what had happened to an online article reportedly quoting former premier Samak Sundaravej's thoughts on the 2006 coup that appeared on her newspaper's website only to mysteriously disappear soon after.

The answer I got was vague. But one thing was clear - our mobile phones might be tapped.

"I can tell when the sound starts breaking with noisy interference," she opined.

To be fair, a few commentaries were written to criticise, albeit with great subtlety, the self-censorship of the mainstream Thai media regarding WikiLeaks.

This writer will not try to discuss this subject either, because that might lead to this article never seeing the light of the day.

Elsewhere, beyond the realm of the mainstream media, Thai Red News, a red-shirt mobile-phone SMS service, said on December 17: "Many Netizens have rushed online to access The Guardian website for an in-depth look at WikiLeaks reports."

It did not even say which country this report was on, though the name can be safely guessed without breaking the lese majeste law.

Later, there were more leaks about the future of a certain institution from the views of two privy councillors and former premier Anand Panyarachun - again, none were reported. Then there was the conversation between the 2006 coup leader General Sondhi Boonyakalin and a former US ambassador to Thailand.

While the mainstream media kept mum, many - but not all - members of the public were alerted. Another friend told me her parents, both die-hard royalists, had no clue whatsoever about this issue because they only subscribed to mainstream media.

It is also unclear how effective alternative news networks such as prachatai.com will be in disseminating information to the wider public on the matter.

So here we are, approaching 2011, supposedly in an era of borderless, instantaneous information and yet many Thais still have no clue about news that should be on the front page of every newspaper and every television channel's breaking news bulletin.

It is at moments like this that Thailand reminds me of North Korea - a secretive authoritarian society where censorship is the norm, where people are too afraid to speak publicly about certain issues and where paranoia about the state listening in is widespread.

I am sure many people will object to this comparison. To be honest, in many regards there is no comparison. Thailand is "committed" to being a democracy, or so our political leaders kept telling us, while North Korea's Orwellian nature is much easier to detect.

But then, in a way, it is scarier to be living in Thailand, where the society is seemingly free but is not actually free and where censorship and self-censorship operates in a more effective and subtle way than in North Korea. In the end, there is no prison more frightening than one that its occupants are not quite aware of.

-- The Nation 2010-12-30

[vahack]

the writer is a paranoid nutcase. go spend time in North Korea and report all the similarities you find. i could list several other countries for you to visit too.

Thailand is a free and easy place to live - well if you have a job and/or some money. not so nice for the poor, but that's only because they want the best of everything. a result of media infiltration (what the govt is trying to moderate). 100 years ago was a far simpler and happier time for Thailand's people..

[Lannatyne]

the writer is a paranoid nutcase. go spend time in North Korea and report all the similarities you find. i could list several other countries for you to visit too.

Thailand is a free and easy place to live - well if you have a job and/or some money. not so nice for the poor, but that's only because they want the best of everything. a result of media infiltration (what the govt is trying to moderate). 100 years ago was a far simpler and happier time for Thailand's people..

A paranoid nutcase?? No way. This guy has the balls to try to openly discuss something that most un-brainwashed observers are already aware of. The North Korea comparison is quite justified. There, you know what you get. Here, it is so sinister and 'dark' - it really is frightening at times.

From both this article and the WikiLeaks details, there certainly seems to be two camps forming in this country. It's not WHO will win that is the worry, but it's HOW they'll win and what will happen next that every Thai should be worried about. But, of course, they won't worry about it, because they won't be informed.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Thailand's prison is culturally self-imposed. Most Thais are uninterested in anything outside the borders of their own country. The vast majority have never left the country and have no real interest in doing so. Many are brainwashed by their education system to believe Thailand is superior to the rest of the world, so there is no need to learn of other cultures. To some extent, Thailand is a paradise, and there is little reason to leave. However, travel abroad is important for personal self-development. When I lived in Hawaii I saw the same thing. A beautiful place, and many of the native-born inhabitants never had left the islands (and those that did only traveled to Vegas). While there is some censorship of the press and internet, it is of little consequence. There is a lot of freedom and democratic spirit in Thailand, but many of the Thais simply aren't curious or sufficiently interested to exploit those freedoms.

[asiawatcher]

Whichever way you look at it, the article is decisive yet controversial and will get tongues wagging. Nice to see a Thai journo stand up and be counted at what risk? Thailand has an outter skin of smiles and peaceful people but there is a very dark side with corruption, mafia's, greed, drugs. powerplays and much more. Life is cheap. Ten thousand Baht at Klong Toey slum and your problem is removed - permanently. People rule here knowing that is how easy it really is.

But it is no different to places like Singapore - higher living standard but dark and dank with a huge stench underneath the clinical surface! So it goes without saying all societies and countries have something to hide, so to raising it here should be no issue - no point in continuing to deny it. Sure they can track our IP address and charge us - but frankly I admire Wikileaks as I think it can make a positive impact on changes and right now many of our 'authorities' are running very scared. I think the internet has opened possibilities to show a lot of the 'controlling' issues errors.

Thailand is a very pleasant place to be and you make of it what you will - it is far better than many Western options right now.

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

Personally, I never thought that I'd read such a piece of journalism in Thailand. Do the TV posters know to which Wikileaks articles the journalist is referring to? I do and I have read them, and I, like the journalist, am disappointed that in modern times, Thailand remains so ignorant of such important matters... well done.

Of course, other countries are censored, but that is not to take away from the journalist's point of view re: Thailand. To criticise his article because there are other so called 'free' countries in the west is pointless - he is not making that point. I always get a laugh when I hear Americans (mainly on TV) say that they live in the land of the free and benefit from a free press... little do the sheople realise who controls the media... the same is true in Thailand, though the reasons for hiding the truth are slightly different.

More articles like this are needed and maybe, just maybe, a tipping point might be reached and the truth could be widely disseminated....

[fnprop]

The Thai Constitution

Section 36. A person shall enjoy the liberty of communication by lawful means.

The censorship, detention or disclosure of communications between persons including any other act disclosing

information in the communication between persons shall not be permitted except by virtue of the provisions of the law specifically

enacted for maintaining the security of the State or maintaining public order or good morals.

Section 45. A person shall enjoy the liberty to express his or her opinion, make speeches, write, print, publicise, and make

expression by other means.

The restriction on the liberty under paragraph one shall not be imposed except by virtue of the provisions of the law

specifically enacted for the purpose of maintaining the security of the State, safeguarding the rights, liberties, dignity, reputation, family

or privacy rights of other persons, maintaining public order or good morals or preventing the deterioration of the mind or health

of the public.

The closure of a newspaper or other mass-media business in deprivation of the liberty under this section shall not be

made. The prohibition of a newspaper or other mass-media business from presenting information or expressing opinions in

whole or in part or imposition of interference by any means in deprivation of the liberty under this section shall not be made except

by virtue of the law enacted under paragraph two.

The censorship by a competent official of news or articles before their publication in a newspaper or other mass media shall

not be made except during the time when the country is in a state of war; provided that it must be made by virtue of the law enacted

under paragraph two.

The US Constitution

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

And that's the difference in a nutshell. In that "Western constitution", it's no law that can be enacted to abridge the freedom. In the Thai constitution, free speech is only protected by the constitution if there is no law to prohibit it.

And I disagree about media censorship in North America. Rather than self-censoring news from fear of criminal legal reprisal, media organizations self-select news to fit their own advocacy positions or commercial interests. The results may often appear similar to censorship, but there is a big difference in deciding whether to publish an article based on possibly restricted access to future news items or making the decision based on a possible jail sentence.

[jayjay0]

Excellent reply

And all so true. The writer is a ill informed idiot. If every thing he claims should be front page news the print would be so small you would not be able to read it. And if you were dumb enough to think what it said was in truth happening and you should do some thing about it you would be unable to move while trying to figure out where to start. Of course you would have to quit your job and abandon your family responsibilities no time for that.

Censorship is in all countries. The difference being here they censor it. In North America they arrest the culprits.

Talk of a invisible prison. The writer should try living in North America. They have laws to stop you from doing every thing. To the point where you do not have to be responsible for your life the Government will take care of it for you. And if they slip up you can sue.

Yes the reply was excellent, but you have not substantiated your claim that he nation's writer is an ill informed idiot. I counter, that your comments are more appropriate for you.

You have confused censorship with responsible reporting. Please provide specific case examples in the past 25 years where in North America they arrest the culprits as you call them. You cannot can you? You then claim they have laws to stop you from dong "everything". Well, what is it that you are opposed to? The laws that say one cannot drive drunk? The laws that say you cannot dump toxic waste in lakes and rivers? There are plenty of websites in North America that preach hate and violence. They are offensive but they are allowed to operate because of freedom of speech laws. Oh yes, there are laws that protect that in North America. Do you object to those laws too? In Canada one can openly discuss the monarchy. In the USA one can openly push false statements like 9-11 conspiracies or that Obama wasn't born in Hawaii. All are offensive but allowed. You are making a simplistic statement when you claim the the government will take care of you in North America. It does not in Mexico. Social Security in the USA and the Canada Pension Plan are hardly tickets to the easy life. They allow people to barely exist in poverty. I would hardly consider food stamps in the USA being taken care of. Yes one can sue the government, but in almost all cases the government wins because of various laws applicable to liability and government rights. In the cases where the government loses it is because the government has violated basic civil rights or really screwed up. When is the last time anyone was successful in holding Thailand's government liable for a violation of basic civil rights? Please provide some examples where the Thai courts have intervened to protect refugees, or to stop a military coup.

Sorry did not mean to include Mexico.

I was referring to things you take for granted. A lot of them are very good and we do them here in Thailand such as wearing a helmet.

I was referring to the fact that you can walk down the side walk with out fear of a two inch step they are illegal. You can not cross a street at any point in a lot of places you must go to a designated area and wait for the cars to stop. You can not ride in the back of a pick up truck you must wear a helmet on a bicycle in many areas. The list goes on adinfintum. You are protected by law from things you take so much for granted you don't even realize it.

My experience is that life by and by is made up of little things. In the States and Canada you don't even think about them you are so used to being taken care of. Here one can experiance them take some responsibility for his own life live it to what ever capacity he chooses.

Here I am responsible. if I trip on the sidewalk I can not sue. In the States and Canada I can sue and win.

I will not go into the skin head issue and hate mongering issues. Just ask your self why do they not have news papers on the stands with the New York Times and other National papers. Or for that matter local papers. Why if they are free are they, as far as I know almost imposable to find.

[cdnvic]

May I remind everyone about Thailand's very zealous laws regarding defamation before anyone calls someone an idiot or a retard in public again? (posts, and those quoting deleted)

[cup-O-coffee]

There is some meat here in this article. Why would it seem odd that any government would not be interested in the assorted avenues of information dissemination?

The content of the information, and how it is delivered to the general public (books, magazines, TV, radio, etc.) is a very powerful weapon to use to control the sheep, excuse me, population of people. It is not strange to me to read only what a lot of us suspect, and I would wager that any government would be remiss if they were not seriously interested in that content. Again, it is a very powerful weapon. Change the way a man thinks and you change that man. Change the way a society thinks, and you change that society. History is not passed down through songs by the village elders anymore. It is recorded in the media and in books.

Whoever controls the editor's desk; controls history!

Occasionally a sheep raises its head and asks questions. That is the human thing to do. How it gets treated should be a note to the others.

interesting article, but nothing new under the sun. Governments make it their business to know what the people are up to, and to keep the people under control, so the governments can keep their power. Even managers and supervisors do the same to their employees, right?

Edited December 30, 2010 by cup-O-coffee

[TheyCallmeScooter]

But then, in a way, it is scarier to be living in Thailand, where the society is seemingly free but is not actually free and where censorship and self-censorship operates in a more effective and subtle way than in North Korea. In the end, there is no prison more frightening than one that its occupants are not quite aware of.

Hauntingly accurate...except it describes how I felt earlier this year when my naive blinkers were removed and I discovered CNN were not the champions of truth I had grown up my entire life believing they were.

The blinkers came off watching Dan Rivers lie - let's not beat around the bush - LIE over and over again, to my face (one of hundreds of millions he was casually deceiving in mind-blowing fashion) to promote the network's agenda in Thailand's domestic political crisis.

Pravit's decade-long rant against the perceived (by him, at least) shadowy 'evils' of lese majeste would garner a lot more legitimacy if he wasn't so often the worst example of the very 'dangers' he rails against. When it comes to deception and misrepresentation via media, few journalists in Thailand can boast anything close to Pravit's portfolio.

This is a battle for power to control the message. Pravit wants to deceive in order to rewrite recent history for the purposes of eroding the entrenched positions currently enjoyed by those in power. The other side wants to cover up and protect their entrenched positions of power. Both positions are understandable. Neither are especially noble.

If Pravit was a genuine crusader, he'd worry a lot more about retaining the moral high ground. That would require a lot less propaganda, a great deal more journalistic ethics, and a whole lot less referencing of Prachatai, who aren't exactly immune to stunning 180 degree Editorial reversals of their published Stands...when those in power swapped their positions suddenly.

[TAWP]

The answer I got was vague. But one thing was clear - our mobile phones might be tapped.

"I can tell when the sound starts breaking with noisy interference," she opined.

The person thinks that the government is using clippers attached to her copper cables...to listen to her cellphone conversation...maybe someone should update her that the noise-tell-tale was something one *might* get 30 years ago. Not now and absolutely not at all over cellphones.

Paranoid people are fun, especially when they focus on the wrong signs...

[grungteep]

So is anyone here going to post a link to the wikileaks articles that reference Thai yellow/red politics? I'm not.

[Northman061]

For "western" residents here in Thailand, it can be strange trying to get a grasp on Thailands political scene. Who really has the power to stop and close web sites, who can listen to your phone calls and read your texts, and why the heck should/would they?

For i am sure, like me, a nation is either "Democratic" or not. Simple. But that is not how it is here.

fnprop's post states (in part) section 36 that; The censorship, detention or disclosure of communications between persons including any other act disclosing information in the communication between persons shall not be permitted except by virtue of the provisions of the law specifically enacted for maintaining the security of the State or maintaining public order or good morals.

See? Oh, did you miss it? "......maintaining the security of the state or maintaining public order or good morals".

These are open to interpretation of whomever is enforcing them. "Good morals"? Whose idea od morals? The Policeman who arrests you? The soldiers who arrests you? "Maintaining puplic order"? You and your friends are discussing "certain" Wikileak posts and are arrested because it "might" lead to you breaking public order? Vague laws lead to an inept judicial sysyem. LAW CANNOT BE OPEN TO PERSONAL INTERPRETATION! Even more so now that the ISA is in force!!!!

Here are some "basic" democratic wishes i want the average Thai to have and expect from 2011 onwards.

I expect a democracy to be governed by accountable officials.

I expect the Military not to be on my daily radar regarding Civilian and Governmental daily politics.

I expect all National and Governmental contracts to placed out to open tender.

I expect all Salaries, Incomes and Business dealings of ALL elected officials checked.

I expect all political opposition to be able to work openly via all media without restriction.

I expect any Politician, Civil Servant, Policeman and Bussiness person brought to swift trail for any bribery and extortion.

Now i know, "Western" Democracy has its failings, but here in Thailand, no one seems accountable. From the Millionaire Generals to the Billionaire "closed shop" Elites recieving Government and National Business Contracts. And lets be clear on this point too, no Western Democracy has the same blatant and open nepotism as is seen here, which is never questioned!

It is clear that the Military are the puppeteers, with their TV Station and Radio Stations pumping out 24 hour PR (which of course should be closed) and that it seems the Civil Government knows its place....which is just like the Thai people at the moment.

The fear when you talk to Thais about confronting Bosses or the "higher ups" about injustices is frightening. Its a real and palpable fear they feel, "its not the way", "its not our way" they say, is one of my great fears for the future of Thais.

Democracy allows and supports the rights of the individual to confront and hold accountable ALL levels of society, no holds barred.....but not here, and that is just not right! :jap:

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Here are some "basic" democratic wishes i want the average Thai to have and expect from 2011 onwards.

I expect a democracy to be governed by accountable officials.

I expect the Military not to be on my daily radar regarding Civilian and Governmental daily politics.

I expect all National and Governmental contracts to placed out to open tender.

I expect all Salaries, Incomes and Business dealings of ALL elected officials checked.

I expect all political opposition to be able to work openly via all media without restriction.

I expect any Politician, Civil Servant, Policeman and Bussiness person brought to swift trail for any bribery and extortion.

Democracy allows and supports the rights of the individual to confront and hold accountable ALL levels of society, no holds barred.....but not here, and that is just not right! :jap:

I fear your expectations are far too great. For Thailand. For SE Asia. For Europe, the UK, France, Australia. For the US. For humanity.

You are living in a sweet delusion if you think any of those expectations are reasonable in the UK or US. ANY of them. I'm not being remotely dramatic.

[Pi Sek]

Here are some "basic" democratic wishes i want the average Thai to have and expect from 2011 onwards.

I expect a democracy to be governed by accountable officials.

I expect the Military not to be on my daily radar regarding Civilian and Governmental daily politics.

I expect all National and Governmental contracts to placed out to open tender.

I expect all Salaries, Incomes and Business dealings of ALL elected officials checked.

I expect all political opposition to be able to work openly via all media without restriction.

I expect any Politician, Civil Servant, Policeman and Bussiness person brought to swift trail for any bribery and extortion.

Democracy allows and supports the rights of the individual to confront and hold accountable ALL levels of society, no holds barred.....but not here, and that is just not right! :jap:

I fear your expectations are far too great. For Thailand. For SE Asia. For Europe, the UK, France, Australia. For the US. For humanity.

You are living in a sweet delusion if you think any of those expectations are reasonable in the UK or US. ANY of them. I'm not being remotely dramatic.

You beat me to it. I too want the "basic" democratic wishes listed above, but absolutely do not expect them from 2011 onwards. Thailand is a young democracy, but the UK has been a democracy for a very long time and has very few of them.

My more realistic expectations...

I expect a democracy to be governed by creatively accountable officials.

I expect the Military not to be on my daily radar regarding Civilian and Governmental daily politics. (OK, I'll go with that.)

I expect all National and Governmental contracts to placed out to open tender, but still face nepotism and corruption when the contractor is chosen.

I expect all Salaries, Incomes and Business dealings of ALL elected officials checked using their own internal and non-publicised standards.

I expect all political opposition to be able to work openly via all media without restriction, unless they misrepresent the truth by repeatedly falsifying evidence, in which case they will be liable for criminal lawsuits.

I do not expect any Politician, Civil Servant, Policeman and Bussiness person brought to swift trail for any bribery and extortion, unless said wrongdoing cannot be swept under the carpet.

[muddyhoop]

Who really has the power to stop and close web sites, who can listen to your phone calls and read your texts, and why the heck should/would they?

ANSWER:USA and UK

[Colabamumbai]

Excellent article and some of the best posts I have read on TVF in sometime.

[balou]

So is anyone here going to post a link to the wikileaks articles that reference Thai yellow/red politics? I'm not.

Could we post a link?

Really? the link is ready!

Admins, please answer, Thanks.

[geriatrickid]

Who really has the power to stop and close web sites, who can listen to your phone calls and read your texts, and why the heck should/would they?

ANSWER:USA and UK

The difference in the USA and the UK is that the invasion of privacy has to meet multiple legal requirements. A court must still approve most "wiretaps"and there are restrictions placed. The US has a difficult time of shutting websites and curtailing the publication of questionable information because of something called the US Constitution and its 1st Amendment. You are paranoid if you think that the US government is listening in on your phone calls and reading your texts. Even in China where the internet is controlled, the Chinese government has a tough time doing that. The issue raised by the author is that even the most basic subjects are off limits in Thailand.

[outre99]

Thailand's prison is culturally self-imposed. Most Thais are uninterested in anything outside the borders of their own country. The vast majority have never left the country and have no real interest in doing so. Many are brainwashed by their education system to believe Thailand is superior to the rest of the world, so there is no need to learn of other cultures. To some extent, Thailand is a paradise, and there is little reason to leave. However, travel abroad is important for personal self-development. When I lived in Hawaii I saw the same thing. A beautiful place, and many of the native-born inhabitants never had left the islands (and those that did only traveled to Vegas). While there is some censorship of the press and internet, it is of little consequence. There is a lot of freedom and democratic spirit in Thailand, but many of the Thais simply aren't curious or sufficiently interested to exploit those freedoms.

Spot on. Over the last 5 years this is exactly the impression that i have of Thais in general. Happy and kind people without much intellectual curiosity or imagination, perfectly happy to follow and terrified to lead. Even the leaders need a large group for moral support and to distribute the weight of responsibility for one's actions.

However, the phenomenon of the self-imposed censorship on the media is not uniquely Thai. American media has been doing it for the last decade. And the self-touted American democracy is a big joke as well. I get quite irritated when i hear American politicians having the nerve to lecture other countries about democracy, human rights, and freedom of the press etc. Depending on your nationality, religion, or even a family name the modern American society can be just as intrusive, oppressing, and outright violent as any of the totalitarian states in the world. The goons at the airport security is an effective illustration of where the US of A is heading. They actually frisked Ray Charles awhile back. They actually thought that a blind old man who is known to almost every American poses security risk. That is truly Orwellian. This is the most dangerous of happenings. The goons begin to really believe their own propaganda. After that no reasonable debate is possible.

Thailand is nowhere near that terrible state of affairs. Say what you will about Thai corruption i would choose to deal with a Thai cop over an American drunk-on-power goon any day.

[zthyadat]

the writer is a paranoid nutcase. go spend time in North Korea and report all the similarities you find. i could list several other countries for you to visit too.

Thailand is a free and easy place to live - well if you have a job and/or some money. not so nice for the poor, but that's only because they want the best of everything. a result of media infiltration (what the govt is trying to moderate). 100 years ago was a far simpler and happier time for Thailand's people..

A bit libellous publicly calling someone a paranoid nutcase, isn't it? Soundslike you have a bad case of "I'm all right, Jack" Yeah, free and easy for you, maybe... and the poor are only unhappy because they have got too big for their britches and decied they deserve a slice of the pie as well?

This has got to be a troll, because surely nobody could be this ignorant.

[jfchandler]

This is weird, but when I go to The Nation's home page right now, I get an empty page.... though when I link directly to the underlying pages beneath the home page they go thru...

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Are-we-all-in-an-invisible-prison--30145452.html

[kumsamut]

The article is from The Nation, ex pro gov or pro yellow shirt . Now, the gov abandoned them. You now will see this kind of article.

Yes it is a pre-shape society were you have you kind of share information secretly.

[Northman061]

How about we decide that the best measurement of a real "free" (loose term,i know) Democratic country, is how much a stand up comedian can poke fun at politicians, military, business men, corruption, stupid bureaucrats etc without fear of "no go" topics handed to them before getting on stage, arrested, sudden disappearance or an "accident" happening to them?

Yeh, I noticed the "stand up" circuit is prity thin here too.....

[Emptyset]

The article is from The Nation, ex pro gov or pro yellow shirt . Now, the gov abandoned them. You now will see this kind of article.

Yes it is a pre-shape society were you have you kind of share information secretly.

Nope, it's from Pravit Rojanaphruk who's never followed The Nation's standard editorial line. Supalak Ganjanakhundee is also good. You should check through the Nation archives for articles by them going back five, six years at least. Note the difference between standard Nation opinion pieces, it's always been there. Not sure why The Nation keeps them on, maybe it's because Yoon still has some commitment to providing a platform for different voices, even though he's obviously rather pro-government himself.

Pravit is a real journalist, he's able to think critically & he holds the powers that be to account, whoever they are. Though he's been critical of the red shirts, he's been one of the few journalists who've been willing to listen to them and give them a voice. He was also one of the first to criticize the initial PAD movement and the coup. He's written a few decent papers on the Thai media, political situation & lesse majeste amongst others things, which are worth reading if you google.

[tomahawk]

Are you starving to death? Can you leave the country if you want? Yes, because this is not North Korea. Thailand is not most democratic country on earth, but no way can anyone rationally compare it to North Korea.

[Suradit]

the writer is a paranoid nutcase. go spend time in North Korea and report all the similarities you find. i could list several other countries for you to visit too.

Thailand is a free and easy place to live - well if you have a job and/or some money. not so nice for the poor, but that's only because they want the best of everything. a result of media infiltration (what the govt is trying to moderate). 100 years ago was a far simpler and happier time for Thailand's people..

I doubt this is a "burning issue" for the majority of people in this country and, compared to many other countries in Asia or elsewhere, Thailand is very free. Comparing it to North Korea is just juvenile sensationalism.

Equal access to quality education, equal opportunity for dignified employment and a reduction in the economic disparity between the classes would better qualify as burning issues, but as countries in the supposedly advanced West are realizing, those are burning issues just about everywhere including the US and Western Europe.

This article sounds like a high school essay written by someone who wishes to sound like an outspoken crusader but discovered that all the actual burning issues were already taken.

[anterian]

I recently did a local verbal survey of Thais, none of them had heard of wikileaks, but most were aware of a forbidden video. Strange how things work.

[Emptyset]

the writer is a paranoid nutcase. go spend time in North Korea and report all the similarities you find. i could list several other countries for you to visit too.

Thailand is a free and easy place to live - well if you have a job and/or some money. not so nice for the poor, but that's only because they want the best of everything. a result of media infiltration (what the govt is trying to moderate). 100 years ago was a far simpler and happier time for Thailand's people..

I doubt this is a "burning issue" for the majority of people in this country and, compared to many other countries in Asia or elsewhere, Thailand is very free. Comparing it to North Korea is just juvenile sensationalism.

Equal access to quality education, equal opportunity for dignified employment and a reduction in the economic disparity between the classes would better qualify as burning issues, but as countries in the supposedly advanced West are realizing, those are burning issues just about everywhere including the US and Western Europe.

This article sounds like a high school essay written by someone who wishes to sound like an outspoken crusader but discovered that all the actual burning issues were already taken.

So press freedom and censorship are not worth discussing then? Thailand is 153rd in the press freedom rankings... but that's OK because it doesn't affect the majority? First, you're wrong to suggest that free speech is only an important issue for a presumably educated few (which is what you implicitly suggest). Second, it's got implications for "quality" education as it affects the way text books are written, how history is taught and a host of other things. Greater freedom of speech in the widest sense would benefit everyone because teaching people to think critically is difficult in an environment of stifling self-censorship.

But you're right that the "majority" probably isn't interested when what they want to talk about isn't being censored. But if you judge it on that basis, then censorship isn't really a problem anywhere. How do you know that the majority of North Koreans want to criticize their regime? They probably don't. They've internalized the fact that the regime is perfect in every way and can't conceive of how it could be bettered. Pravit's main point is that the most effective control mechanisms are the ones we're not aware of... and so we're back to the quality education point, teaching people to be aware of the political structures that govern their lives & think critically about them, which of course also has implications for the "economic disparity between the classes" point you raise. It's all entangled, free speech is vital, not only for democracy but for equality too.