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Censorship in Thailand involves the strict control of political news under successive governments, including by harassment and manipulation.
Freedom of speech was guaranteed in 1997[1] and those guarantees continue in 2007.[2] Mechanisms for censorship have included strict lèse-majesté laws, direct government/military control over the broadcast media, and the use of economic and political pressure.[3] Criticism of the king is banned by the constitution, although most lèse-majesté cases have been directed at foreigners, or at Thai opponents of political, social and commercial leaders.[4]
Thailand ranked 59 of 167 countries in 2004 and then fell to 107 of 167 countries in 2005 in Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders.[5][6] Thailand's ranking fell to 153 of 178 in 2010[7] and rose to 137 of 179 in 2011–2012.[8] In the 2014 index, Thailand ranked 130 of 180 nations,[9] falling to 142 in 2017 and to 140 in 2018.[10]
- ^ "The Thai Constitution of 1997 and its Implication on Criminal Justice Reform"[permanent dead link], Kittipong Kittayarak, 120th International Senior Seminar, Resource Material Series No. 60, United Nations Asia and Far East Institute (UNAFEI). Retrieved 23 August 2012
- ^ Draft Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand Archived 7 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Constitution Drafting Committee, 26 April 2007
- ^ "Publish And Perish" Archived 6 May 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Phil Zabriskie Bangkok, Time, 11 March 2002
- ^ Saiyasombut, Saksith (16 August 2011). "Thailand's unpopular lese majeste law claims another victim". Asian Correspondent. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
... numerous cases show the problem about how this law is applied. In theory, anybody can file such a complaint to the police, who are obliged to investigate every one of them, no matter how nonsensical they are. They can forward them to the prosecution and subsequently to the court which then has to decide on the ambiguously worded law. Throw in the vague 2007 Computer Crimes Act (which was at one time planned to be replaced by a new draft), you are in (assumed deliberately) uncharted legal territory.
- ^ "Press Freedom Index 2004" Archived 7 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Reporters Without Borders
- ^ "Press Freedom Index 2005" Archived 19 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Reporters Without Borders
- ^ "Press Freedom Index 2010" Archived 27 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Reporters Without Borders
- ^ "Press Freedom Index 2011–2012" Archived 31 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Reporters Without Borders
- ^ "World Press Freedom Index, 2014". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ "2018 World Press Freedom Index; Thailand". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.