How Thai authorities use online doxxing to suppress dissent

Thai authorities can also arrest and jail you if you leave bad reviews on Google maps. If you visit Thailand it's best not to say anything but positive things about the country on social media.

That’s more about Thailand’s ridiculously strict defamation laws than suppressing criticism of the country.

Probably not a bad strategy. The people who go by Google reviews probably only visit once in a lifetime whether they like Thailand or not, so it pays to wow them with fraudulent reviews and then gouge them as much as possible while they’re in the country.

It’s not as if they’re going to leave early in the stay and go back to Europe or North America, because of the sunk cost fallacy.

I really doubt they would target tourists. Or are there examples?

Ok that only happened once, and only because the guy created multiple blatantly false reviews. It's not as simple as "food was shite."

> Barnes later submitted negative reviews of the hotel online, including one that said the resort’s foreign management “treat the staff like slaves”.

It happened once. TripAdvisor still shows a banner on the hotel page regarding the event: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g580110-d594766-R...

It is interesting to examine the case of Brokedown Palace, which was set in Thailand, but filmed in the Philippines, because it was “critical of the Thai legal system”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokedown_Palace#Filming

Except it was Manila and the Philippines that banned actress Claire Danes, after she slagged off Manila by basically telling lies to media outlets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Danes#Personal_life

But we’ve all known since 1984 that one night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble. https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rgc_LRjlbTU&si=aVIPqwJfNdf...

I love Thailand as a country but they should relax the defamation thing. A while ago I wanted to criticize the human zoo they setup in the North but I was advised by some Thai friends to not say anything unless I want to get banned from the country.

Free speech is important for progress.

> Barnes later submitted negative reviews of the hotel online, including one that said the resort’s foreign management “treat the staff like slaves”.

How do you know that's "blatantly false"?

... human zoo?

> Sanctuary Center for Psychotic Female Vagrants

Well, that certainly is a name. (For an actual filming location in Manila, that is.)

Staff in Thai hotels are not generally held in chattel slavery.

Defamation normally means a untrue statement not a judgment.

If I said my job works me like a slave do you think I'm being forced to work without pay

Following that sentence, the article mentions a rejected review that used the phrase "modern day slavery," so it's not quite the same.

This I presume? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7215182.stm

Not really following. Defamation can result in a prison sentence in Thailand. It's both a criminal and civil offense.

Saying ‘I don’t like their food’ == judgment. Saying ‘their food isn’t Thai food’ when it is == defamation. Saying ‘I found a cockroach in the food’ when you didn’t == defamation.

The issue in Thailand, is all three will get you in deep trouble if discussing the royal family, or other topics yes?

[https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/defamation]

You're right. I responded based on the parent's comment and I should have checked the article

Ah I see. Sorry I confused judgement with legal judgement.

I think it could probably have been more clearly put as ‘opinion’ - aka someone’s individual judgement, as compared to a statement of fact.