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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 a

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.

aaron695 2y ago
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digianarchist 2y ago
That’s more about Thailand’s ridiculously strict defamation laws than suppressing criticism of the country.
- brokegrammer 2y ago
  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.
  - pcthrowaway 2y ago
    ... human zoo?
    - recursivecaveat 2y ago
      This I presume? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7215182.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7215182.stm
- Braxton1980 2y ago
  Defamation normally means a untrue statement not a judgment.
  - digianarchist 1y ago
    Not really following. Defamation can result in a prison sentence in Thailand. It's both a criminal and civil offense.
    - lazide 1y ago
      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 https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/defamation]
      - digianarchist 1y ago
        Ah I see. Sorry I confused judgement with legal judgement.
        lazide 1y ago
        I think it could probably have been more clearly put as ‘opinion’ - aka someone’s individual judgement, as compared to a statement of fact.
Tabular-Iceberg 2y ago
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.
lukan 2y ago
I really doubt they would target tourists. Or are there examples?
- sureIy 2y ago
  It happened once. TripAdvisor still shows a banner on the hotel page regarding the event: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g580110-d594766-Reviews-Sea_View_Resort_Spa_Koh_Chang-Ko_Chang_Trat_Province.html https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g580110-d594766-R...
sureIy 2y ago
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”.
- leereeves 2y ago
  > 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"?
  - decimalenough 2y ago
    Staff in Thai hotels are not generally held in chattel slavery.
    - Braxton1980 2y ago
      If I said my job works me like a slave do you think I'm being forced to work without pay
      - sureIy 2y ago
        Following that sentence, the article mentions a rejected review that used the phrase "modern day slavery," so it's not quite the same.
        Braxton1980 1y ago
        You're right. I responded based on the parent's comment and I should have checked the article
AStonesThrow 2y ago
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 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 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=aVIPqwJfNdfSKx_u https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rgc_LRjlbTU&si=aVIPqwJfNdf...
- decimalenough 2y ago
  > Sanctuary Center for Psychotic Female Vagrants Well, that certainly is a name. (For an actual filming location in Manila, that is.)

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.

aaron695 2y ago

[dead]

digianarchist 2y ago

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

brokegrammer 2y ago
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.
- pcthrowaway 2y ago
  ... human zoo?
  - recursivecaveat 2y ago
    This I presume? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7215182.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7215182.stm
Braxton1980 2y ago
Defamation normally means a untrue statement not a judgment.
- digianarchist 1y ago
  Not really following. Defamation can result in a prison sentence in Thailand. It's both a criminal and civil offense.
  - lazide 1y ago
    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 https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/defamation]
    - digianarchist 1y ago
      Ah I see. Sorry I confused judgement with legal judgement.
      - lazide 1y ago
        I think it could probably have been more clearly put as ‘opinion’ - aka someone’s individual judgement, as compared to a statement of fact.

Tabular-Iceberg 2y ago

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.

lukan 2y ago

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

sureIy 2y ago
It happened once. TripAdvisor still shows a banner on the hotel page regarding the event: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g580110-d594766-Reviews-Sea_View_Resort_Spa_Koh_Chang-Ko_Chang_Trat_Province.html https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g580110-d594766-R...

sureIy 2y ago

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”.

leereeves 2y ago
> 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"?
- decimalenough 2y ago
  Staff in Thai hotels are not generally held in chattel slavery.
  - Braxton1980 2y ago
    If I said my job works me like a slave do you think I'm being forced to work without pay
    - sureIy 2y ago
      Following that sentence, the article mentions a rejected review that used the phrase "modern day slavery," so it's not quite the same.
      - Braxton1980 1y ago
        You're right. I responded based on the parent's comment and I should have checked the article

AStonesThrow 2y ago

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 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 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=aVIPqwJfNdfSKx_u https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rgc_LRjlbTU&si=aVIPqwJfNdf...

decimalenough 2y ago
> Sanctuary Center for Psychotic Female Vagrants Well, that certainly is a name. (For an actual filming location in Manila, that is.)