2 ms·

In what way would you ever rationalize putting someone in prison for a bad review?

KaoruAoiShiho 6y ago
I'm not convinced that defamation laws are absolutely abhorrent. It's possible to ruin someone's life with verbal harassment, especially when given amplified powers via social media.
- CyberDildonics 6y ago
  That is a false dichotomy. No one said anything about defamation laws in general and this is a business not a person. They told the police that what he said was untrue and the police came to his work and put him in prison.
  - KaoruAoiShiho 6y ago
    Cause of defamation laws? If you're against this isn't the root of it defamation laws?
    - CyberDildonics 6y ago
      If someone accuses you of speeding and you don't think you should get put in jail for multiple days does that mean you are against speed limits?
pier25 6y ago
The guy said in one of the reviews the resort used slaves... that's a pretty defamatory claim.
- CyberDildonics 6y ago
  The article says he said "modern day slavery", but the point here is not that there wasn't any defamation. It is that police came to his work and put him in jail based off of a complaint by the hotel. Does that seem reasonable to you?
  - aflag 6y ago
    Defamation is a very serious crime there. The hotel had hard evidence and, I presume, saying a hotel practices modern day slavery is very high up in the list. In light of that, it doesn't seem that preventive detention, which I assume was the case here, is that unreasonable.
    - throwawaygh 6y ago
      There's realpolitik on the other side of this coin as well. The ongoing coup d'etat means that this isn't simply a matter of "follow local laws", but also a matter of "risk that this becomes a litmus test for the western world's orientation toward Thailand's new system of government". Cracking down on US tourists for speech violations is exactly the sort of thing hawkish senators in the US might latch onto. If that happens, Thailand becomes a de facto Chinese satellite state. Which is all to say: domestic affairs are never exactly domestic when foreign nationals are involved. Normally the stakes are low, but in Thailand's case the particular moment is fraught with risk. The juice seems not worth the squeeze. > preventive detention AFAIK he's been charged with crimes.
      - stephenr 6y ago
        > ongoing coup d'etat means You know there was an election right? Is the government still questionable? Sure. But the coup is no longer in effect, there is an elected government.
    - CyberDildonics 6y ago
      This didn't make the news because it contradicts what people know about thai law. A single complaint from a business to police over a review that gets someone taken from their job and put in jail is not reasonable and most would consider it a gross abuse of power, legal or not.
  - pier25 6y ago
    The review said the owners treat the staff like slaves [1] and that was just one of many bad reviews. It's not exactly simply writing a bad review. Regardless, I do agree it's excessive, but each country has its fair share of strange laws and regulations. For example, as a European everything related to firearms in the US is just as incomprehensible to me. [1] https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/1309817382559391745 https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/1309817382559391745

I'm not convinced that defamation laws are absolutely abhorrent. It's possible to ruin someone's life with verbal harassment, especially when given amplified powers via social media.

CyberDildonics 6y ago
That is a false dichotomy. No one said anything about defamation laws in general and this is a business not a person. They told the police that what he said was untrue and the police came to his work and put him in prison.
- KaoruAoiShiho 6y ago
  Cause of defamation laws? If you're against this isn't the root of it defamation laws?
  - CyberDildonics 6y ago
    If someone accuses you of speeding and you don't think you should get put in jail for multiple days does that mean you are against speed limits?

pier25 6y ago

The guy said in one of the reviews the resort used slaves... that's a pretty defamatory claim.

CyberDildonics 6y ago
The article says he said "modern day slavery", but the point here is not that there wasn't any defamation. It is that police came to his work and put him in jail based off of a complaint by the hotel. Does that seem reasonable to you?
- aflag 6y ago
  Defamation is a very serious crime there. The hotel had hard evidence and, I presume, saying a hotel practices modern day slavery is very high up in the list. In light of that, it doesn't seem that preventive detention, which I assume was the case here, is that unreasonable.
  - throwawaygh 6y ago
    There's realpolitik on the other side of this coin as well. The ongoing coup d'etat means that this isn't simply a matter of "follow local laws", but also a matter of "risk that this becomes a litmus test for the western world's orientation toward Thailand's new system of government". Cracking down on US tourists for speech violations is exactly the sort of thing hawkish senators in the US might latch onto. If that happens, Thailand becomes a de facto Chinese satellite state. Which is all to say: domestic affairs are never exactly domestic when foreign nationals are involved. Normally the stakes are low, but in Thailand's case the particular moment is fraught with risk. The juice seems not worth the squeeze. > preventive detention AFAIK he's been charged with crimes.
    - stephenr 6y ago
      > ongoing coup d'etat means You know there was an election right? Is the government still questionable? Sure. But the coup is no longer in effect, there is an elected government.
  - CyberDildonics 6y ago
    This didn't make the news because it contradicts what people know about thai law. A single complaint from a business to police over a review that gets someone taken from their job and put in jail is not reasonable and most would consider it a gross abuse of power, legal or not.
- pier25 6y ago
  The review said the owners treat the staff like slaves [1] and that was just one of many bad reviews. It's not exactly simply writing a bad review. Regardless, I do agree it's excessive, but each country has its fair share of strange laws and regulations. For example, as a European everything related to firearms in the US is just as incomprehensible to me. [1] https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/1309817382559391745 https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/1309817382559391745