Censorship In Thailand

[fanciman]

Yet another story i found interesting has been censored on this forum.

In this instance, the story of the story was banned, when I linked to an article in Pravda. (By the way, *do* check out English Pravda.

There are a lot of very interesting articles there (one on the latest winner of a Ford's super model contest, for example, she is so hot!!), it offers an alternative perspective, (or, if you are living under censorship, perhaps the only perspective), and is well written.

It is a strange day when Pravda can be seen as a beacon for a free press

I am sure the person responsible for ThaiVisa doesn't enjoy being subjected to pressures of censorship, and that they would be even more furious about it than I am.

What about moving the server out of the country? Maybe to Malaysia? Would that enable more freedom of discussion?

I wonder whether even this post will get banned. If so, is there an alternative venue? I like it here, a lot, actually and can put up with quite a bit, but wonder what the options are.

[Wolfie]

Yet another story i found interesting has been censored on this forum.

In this instance, the story of the story was banned, when I linked to an article in Pravda. (By the way, *do* check out English Pravda.

There are a lot of very interesting articles there (one on the latest winner of a Ford's super model contest, for example, she is so hot!!), it offers an alternative perspective, (or, if you are living under censorship, perhaps the only perspective), and is well written.

It is a strange day when Pravda can be seen as a beacon for a free press

I am sure the person responsible for ThaiVisa doesn't enjoy being subjected to pressures of censorship, and that they would be even more furious about it than I am.

What about moving the server out of the country? Maybe to Malaysia? Would that enable more freedom of discussion?

I wonder whether even this post will get banned. If so, is there an alternative venue? I like it here, a lot, actually and can put up with quite a bit, but wonder what the options are.

The servers are not hosted inside of thailand. Thaivisa.com does respect and abide by thai law as its a thai based forum. Many of our readers are within thailand. In many cases some of our members discuss areas which could cause us to get blocked from within thailand. So we remove/edit these dodgy threads.

It wouldnt concern/effect some people if ThaiVisa.com was blocked from within thailand, due to them being in different countries, but as i said above a lot of our members are within thailand so we work hard to ensure everyone can access us.

[Michael W]

And I thought I had censored (redacted -- blacked out) the sensitive parts of the article pretty thoroughly and all the replies that I saw had similarly been careful.

What's impressive is you can't even look up the book on Amazon.com. When you click the link of the search result it takes you to the Thai police censorship page. Even happens if you go to Amazon through a Web proxy like ProxyKing.net. I guess they're blocking on certain phrases or something rather than URLs, though I was able to save the Amazon page to some Web space of mine and view it there.

[GuestHouse]

Given the subject, which was a banned book not banned Pravda, I am not surprised the thread was removed. If the police are already blocking access to the book elsewhere then to leave the thread up is courting trouble.

I'd like to say that I was surprised, but I was not, when I read that some members where themselves trashing the book (that has not been published yet) perhaps in the belief that doing so makes them more loyal to Thailand.

Whatever, I've ordered a copy and look forward to reading it, but I shalln't be brining a copy to Thailand in my luggage - for the very same reasons that ThaiVisa don't want links to blocked websites being added into this forum.

A sensible precaution, that's all, nothing sinister and as Wolfie says done in the best interest of members who rely on access to this website being available.

Edited February 4, 2006 by GuestHouse

[h90]

Given the subject, which was a banned book not banned Pravda, I am not surprised the thread was removed. If the police are already blocking access to the book elsewhere then to leave the thread up is courting trouble.

I'd like to say that I was surprised, but I was not, when I read that some members where themselves trashing the book (that has not been published yet) perhaps in the belief that doing so makes them more loyal to Thailand.

Whatever, I've ordered a copy and look forward to reading it, but I shalln't be brining a copy to Thailand in my luggage - for the very same reasons that ThaiVisa don't want links to blocked websites being added into this forum.

A sensible precaution, that's all, nothing sinister and as Wolfie says done in the best interest of members who rely on access to this website being available.

Can someone pm me, what was blocked, please.

[Stephen Cleary]

Yet another story i found interesting has been censored on this forum.

In this instance, the story of the story was banned, when I linked to an article in Pravda. (By the way, *do* check out English Pravda.

There are a lot of very interesting articles there (one on the latest winner of a Ford's super model contest, for example, she is so hot!!), it offers an alternative perspective, (or, if you are living under censorship, perhaps the only perspective), and is well written.

It is a strange day when Pravda can be seen as a beacon for a free press

I am sure the person responsible for ThaiVisa doesn't enjoy being subjected to pressures of censorship, and that they would be even more furious about it than I am.

What about moving the server out of the country? Maybe to Malaysia? Would that enable more freedom of discussion?

I wonder whether even this post will get banned. If so, is there an alternative venue? I like it here, a lot, actually and can put up with quite a bit, but wonder what the options are.

As a resident of LOS for over a decade now, currently a moderator of another popular Thai forum and co-founder of Thailand's biggest 'Thailand' blog-site:

I have to say that no i dont feel furious about the pressures of censorship in Thailand.

Even under the present PM, you are free to discuss virtually what the heck you want on forums regardless to the fact, they are based in Thailand or not.

What exactly is "Enable more freedom of discussion?"

Excuse me, but what are you needing to discuss?

TV knows the law. A book has been banned and just yesterday (i think it was) the Royal Police Force of Thailand banned entry to a certain book at 'amazon' and even Yale University's website. That is the end of the matter, for TV's well-being it doesn't need to go into any more detail.

As a matter of fact, in my opinion, there isn't that much too discuss!

In Thailand it is illegal to - one: criticize a judge's decision, and two: a member of the royal family.

As for criticizing the police or the army (as a whole) etc.... you have to be careful there too.

Now, that isnt exactly asking too much!

TV has been right to censor any such....story. Well done.

Edited February 4, 2006 by stevesuphan

[skylar]

I don't see how a farang can dish the dirt on this important a Thai figure anyway. Doesn't even speak Thai, despite spending 13 years there, so how can he find anything to be accurate? Another "investigative" journalist in ill fitting shoes. They're all full of it.

[GuestHouse]

Gentlemen please.

To respect and support (as I do) TV's right and indeed duty to ensure that content on TV does not transgress Thai law is wholly correct. But it is an entirely different matter to go further and revel in delight at the presense and practice of censorship.

To not court problems by removing references to a book that 'may offend' is one thing, but to join in the condemnation of that book is quite something else, particularly so since noone outside of the Author and Publisher has read the book.

To express blind cristicism (blind because you have not read the book) does nothing for the argument you would put forward, it is by deffinition ignorance.

As I say, I've ordered my copy, I very much forward to reading it. I might have something to say condeming or extoling the book, but only after I have read it.

And, here's the rub, I don't expect anyone else to have to read it. I don't, unlike censors, have any desire to control what anyone else reads. And I am extremely suspicious of the motives of people who feel they need to join in censorship as if it were a duty.

We view other parts of the world and wonder who are these people parading around burning flags and making death threats over a cartoon, and yet here among us we have people who would, I strongly suspect, be happy to do the same.

Good business practice, yes. Duty of a private individual, no I do not think so.

[TAWP]

As a resident of LOS for over a decade now, currently a moderator of another popular Thai forum and co-founder of Thailand's biggest 'Thailand' blog-site:

I have to say that no i dont feel furious about the pressures of censorship in Thailand.

Are you trying to say that censorship is a good thing or that you somehow, in your lack of knowledge, don't understand or have yet to experience, any censorship in .th?

[skylar]

but to join in the condemnation of that book is quite something else, particularly so since noone outside of the Author and Publisher has read the book.

To express blind cristicism (blind because you have not read the book) does nothing for the argument you would put forward, it is by deffinition ignorance.

You have a point. However, looking at the synopsis 1) the author does not seem qualified to comment 2) does not appear to have considered a balanced argument. Both 'for' and 'against' must be considered and the synopsis is sensationalist at best.

I think I would read it, but the synopsis has already warned me to take it with a big pinch of salt.

[Oishi]

Fanciman when you entered the TV you accepted the terms in the Forum Rules

By using this service you agree;

1) You will not use thaivisa.com to post any material which is knowingly or can be reasonably construed as false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, referencing suicide, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law.

And

DISPUTES.

Thaivisa.com shall be the sole arbiter of what is and is not a violation of these acceptable use policies. We reserve the right to terminate an account at any time and for any reason that causes harm to any other. We reserve the right to delete all content and files on our server and in our databases at any time for any reason. Thaivisa.com reserves the right to refuse, cancel, or suspend service at our sole discretion.

So you knew beforehand you could get a post deleted.

But I will probably agree with you on many other issues concerning freedom of speech.

I am from a country where we value freedom of speech a lot. The last couple of days it has even cost us some embassies.

But that freedom also gives you the right to start your own webboard or blog and discuss those matters, then it is your responsibility and not TV.

Because freedom of speech does come with a responsibility. And by posting in TV you are suddenly moving that responsibility on to the guys and gals behind TV and not yourself.

Stevesuphan What is your point exactly in your post?

“As a resident of LOS for over a decade now, currently a moderator of another popular Thai forum and co-founder of Thailand's biggest 'Thailand' blog-site:

TV has been right to censor any such....story. Well done.

Is that why you discuss a similar tread (book) on one of your forums, and I only mention this because you advertised for them in the beginning of your post.