Censorship and the military junta

Its easy to forget that there ever was a coup and that Thailand is currently run by a military junta.. there have been very few changes in most people's daily lives since the events of last September..



The new "government" seem to be fond of quickly introducing new laws without thinking them through properly. There was controversy a few months ago when one such law was introduced requiring that foreign nationals or company wishing to invest money in Thailand must deposit 30% of the total investment in a Thai bank for a few years.. Within hours the Thai stock exchange and baht had crashed and the law was repealled.


The coup has impacted on my life in subtle ways.. I had been looking forward to the Bangkok Heineken Rock Festival in January. Unfortunately my plans were scuppered when a law was introduced banning all sponsorship by alcohol. After losing their major sponsor the festival was cancelled. An idea was floated that the legal age for alcohol consumption might me raised to 25. I would be ok but that would have prevented half my Thai friends from going out. Fortunately that plan has so far remained on the drawing board.

Something I read in the Bangkok Post newspaper this week has left me even more upset though. After the owners refused to remove a short video clip mocking the King of Thailand, the government have banned any use of the "You Tube" website in the whole country of Thailand.

You Tube is one of my favourite websites. I normally use it to watch music videos.. New independent bands post their videos on the site and fans can upload TV performances and clips from concerts. Living a long way from the UK its a great way for me to keep up to date with new music. Its also a good way to share music with friends, as I did when I posted links for some Thai pop songs in my blog last week.

Now I am fully aware how much the Thai people love and respect their King. Any form of criticism of the royal family, let alone open mockery is not culturally acceptable in this country. The government's reaction however seems somewhat excessive. Due to the actions of one individual who posted the clip, an entire nation have been denied the opportunity to enjoy all the other benefits of this site.

Surely a degree of "turning the other cheek" would be appropriate here. I would never have even realised there was a video clip moking the King if this gross act of censorship hadn't brought it into the news. It brings me back to my attempts to resolve childhood disputes in the playground as a teacher. If someone says something ridiculous and stupid about you, its not worth dignifying it with a repsonse.

Cynics might feel that this King clip is a convenient excuse. Users can post whatever they like on You Tube. So in addition to music videos, you can view just about anything you can think of.. from bad jokes and miming to pop songs to 'brainiac' style Science stunts and practical jokes.

Political groups have also utilised You Tube for campaigning. When nearly a hundred Muslim's in the South of Thailand died from heat exhaustion after being bundled into overcrowded trucks, there were clips on You Tube. There is nothing to stop opposition politicians from posting speeches on the site. I'd imagine animal rights campaigners have probably posted clips exposing alleged malpractices at research centres.

Surely the military junta wouldn't be taking advantage of the situation regarding the King clip, in a country where no-one will question anything regarding the monarchy, to remove a possible campaigning tool for pro-Thaksin and other anti-coup groups?

In the meantime I mourn the loss of my favourite music website. I can't see the current standoff being resolved any time soon.