Naming And Shaming

[ThaiEscrow]

I was surprised when i read comments on my last thread and did not realise that if you had a legitimate problem with a 'seller or service provider' that naming them somewhere or anywheer was liable to get you into a bit of trouble. How can joe public find out about dodgy deals if no-one is allowed to mention it publicy. Surely one should be allowed to say that "property developer XYZ" said that my property would be started/completed etc on this date and they did not do it; as a matetr of fact they have not even begun to do A, B or C. Is it worrying anyone that i write in upper case INITIALS.

Where can one find out the integrity of Seller A as opposed to Seller B without ending up in court. Admittedly i have only stayed in Thailand for 10 years and i am possibly still green around the gills.

Would this mean that if i asked my solicitor or realtor about a development they would not be in a position to give me an accurate opinion without being worried about ending up in court or jail?

[wana]

you cant "publicly" slander or defame any person or his business

if he loses clients /customers / income because of what you say YOU may be liable to repay

his loses at whatever rate is calculated

be careful !

[craigt3365]

Do some research on the draconian defamation laws here in Thailand....and you will begin to understand why we are so careful with posts like that. Even if you win the suit, you can still lose. It's a really big deal here. One reason when the police are pursuing somebody initially, they will never use their name at first. Just an initial.

[h90]

Do some research on the draconian defamation laws here in Thailand....and you will begin to understand why we are so careful with posts like that. Even if you win the suit, you can still lose. It's a really big deal here. One reason when the police are pursuing somebody initially, they will never use their name at first. Just an initial.

not only in Thailand, I know a case in USA. A forum about diving and someone posted the horrible experiences with a dive center and the forum got a very expensive lawsuit (even if you win you loose)

[Semper]

you cant "publicly" slander or defame any person

For some reason politicians does not seem to be included in the "any person" group.

[Lite Beer]

Being proved right is no defense.

If you cause a business to lose money you can be sued.

[Zatoichi]

Easy Solution do so anonymously on a site not hosted in Thailand. Worst they could do is block access from inside Thailand to that site. It would be nice if you could find away to do so on a more public site like facebook or Youtube. Actualy Youtube could be done with ease. Start a Vblog.

[endure]

Easy Solution do so anonymously on a site not hosted in Thailand. Worst they could do is block access from inside Thailand to that site. It would be nice if you could find away to do so on a more public site like facebook or Youtube. Actualy Youtube could be done with ease. Start a Vblog.

If you do that on a site hosted outside of Thailand in order to warn people who actually live in Thailand and their access is blocked because of your post they'll never know anyway, will they?

[craigt3365]

you cant "publicly" slander or defame any person

For some reason politicians does not seem to be included in the "any person" group.

They are if they are the ones being "named"!

[nong38]

It is a very difficult situation and not what we are used to in the west. The best way you can avoid the probvems is to try and do you homework first, do some research on the company, ask about their reputation, seems like its the best you can do and hope people are truthful with you.

When I was looking a house, the first think I asked was "does it flood here?" then have a look around for evidence. I see a lot of new areas cleared and levelled for building in areas that have flooded, but it has not flooded since the levelling so you can guess the answer you will get cant you, keep your wits about you and be as careful as you can be and if you a Thai friend who can help that might be useful.

[xthAi76s]

Anytime a person has anything negative to post about Thailand or within Thailand, he/she take some precaution like using a VPN service in a country with very strong speech protection laws and using accounts that were never accessed by their Thai IP address(es) so that they accounts and Thai IPs cannot be linked up. Do trust that your Thai ISP will more than happily give up your info for a policeman who comes in with 200 baht. You can't be too careful in a place like Thailand which effectively has no laws as the highest bidder essentially controls the law a la carte.

[waza]

Its a suprise Agoda hasnt been blocked due to negative feedback on hotels

[wana]

Its a suprise Agoda hasnt been blocked due to negative feedback on hotels

if they translated it to thai it will get banned quicker ......

probably if someone with power (money) complained about a review it might be deleted

[prefabs]

These laws actually help crooked property developers to stay in business. These laws are used to prevent media from warning people about their nefarious activities. Mind you, when the developers and media outlets are in cahoots, it is difficult anyay. Just look at the current Andrew drummond blog about this.

The same laws are a hindrance to free speech and political corruption. It has happened that anyone who criticised certain politicians was immediately hit with billion baht law suits, which often resulted in groveling changes in mind. Even if you are 100% certain of wrongdoing, the thought that you might lose is very sobering.

[exeter]

These laws actually help crooked property developers to stay in business. These laws are used to prevent media from warning people about their nefarious activities. Mind you, when the developers and media outlets are in cahoots, it is difficult anyay. Just look at the current Andrew drummond blog about this.

The same laws are a hindrance to free speech and political corruption. It has happened that anyone who criticised certain politicians was immediately hit with billion baht law suits, which often resulted in groveling changes in mind. Even if you are 100% certain of wrongdoing, the thought that you might lose is very sobering.

Even if you have not had a drink! It makes you wonder if Thailand will ever be a free and democratic country, but then again free and democratic means different things to different people. In both cases its about control of the people, just done in different ways.

[Semper]

In both cases its about control of the people, just done in different ways.

More or less the same as in any country.

[jinjinswing]

I think you will find just about anywhere in the world you could be up for libel if you name names, before TV news crews go after someone they get all the facts and legals right and even then ive heard of them being sued and looseing.

In a third world country it might not just be your money you loose but your all your assets here...even your life.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

These laws actually help crooked property developers to stay in business. These laws are used to prevent media from warning people about their nefarious activities. Mind you, when the developers and media outlets are in cahoots, it is difficult anyay. Just look at the current Andrew drummond blog about this.

It's sheer madness. Everyone wins with transparency except those who are trying to be malicious or cover up historical malice. Laws and cultural 'values' and parental advice and everything really has all been stacked up ludicrously in favour of those who lie, cheat and steal. Honesty is penalised in this world. Deceit is protected by law. What a world. Just a bunch of toddlers who can't act in their own best interests; who want to have their cake and smear it all over their face as well. It's really kind of unfathomable.

Then again, the 'moral' leaders of the globe for 1500 years used to burn people at the stake for asking questions or discovering scientific facts that embarrassed them; so I guess that's where it all came from. 2012 and they're still going strong with their Secrecy. The butler did it, we are reliably informed. Yeah right.

Speaking of Andrew Drummond, has his website been down for long?

[cdnvic]

Easy Solution do so anonymously on a site not hosted in Thailand. Worst they could do is block access from inside Thailand to that site. It would be nice if you could find away to do so on a more public site like facebook or Youtube. Actualy Youtube could be done with ease. Start a Vblog.

It's not such an easy solution to a site who's business model largely depends on advertising targeted at viewers inside of Thailand. It also doesn't protect you if you live in Thailand, as some admins of other sites have learned the hard way.

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Thaivisa Connect App

[Darrel]

Speaking of Andrew Drummond, has his website been down for long?

It's working for me.

[prefabs]

Speaking of Andrew Drummond, has his website been down for long?

It's working for me.

an

and me

[bendix]

The problem with naming and shaming companies is that feedback - both positive and negative is so subjective. How many times have we seen accusations of, for example, unfair advertising on this forum when the reality is that the OP has simply misunderstood what they are reading. The classic example is the Air Asia thread where the OP was furious he couldnt get a fare to Colombo for a few hundred baht, when the ad clearly stated that fares to a range of destinations start FROM a few hundred baht.

A lesser example is the sunday roast buffet thread where the OP may or may not have had a genuine grievance, but where the establishment's manager came on afterwards and provided some more colour to the complaint.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Anytime a person has anything negative to post about Thailand or within Thailand, he/she take some precaution like using a VPN service in a country with very strong speech protection laws and using accounts that were never accessed by their Thai IP address(es) so that they accounts and Thai IPs cannot be linked up. Do trust that your Thai ISP will more than happily give up your info for a policeman who comes in with 200 baht. You can't be too careful in a place like Thailand which effectively has no laws as the highest bidder essentially controls the law a la carte.

> Anytime a person has anything negative to post about Thailand or within Thailand, he/she should take some precaution like using a VPN service in a country with very strong speech protection laws and using accounts that were never accessed by their Thai IP address(es) so that they accounts and Thai IPs cannot be linked up.

> Do trust that your Thai ISP will more than happily give up your info for a policeman who comes in with 200 baht.

No need for an official to visit in person nor pay any money, a phone call will usually suffice.