thailand – Citizen Reporter

Thailand’s Oppressive Media Law

It was the summer of 2008 and I was in Bangkok, Thailand, on a then work related trip that left me enough spare time to look around and do some reporting. My focus included alternative media, and lucky for me, a good friend introduced me to Jiew, editor of the alternative magazine Prachatai.com. We did a very interesting and informative podcast about the situation in Thailand, which included a discussion of the limitations on press freedom in that country.

During the interview we touched upon the “Lèse Magesté”: extremely oppressive laws that govern how you can or cannot talk about the royal family. As a journalist, you are not allowed to criticize the royal family in publications. Doing so would constitute a serious offense and while I can’t remember what the average sentence could be, I remember it was bad. Jiew was extremely well versed in what a reporter or media channel could and couldn’t do in their work, even an alternative source. To my surprise she even asked me to turn off my recorder when we got to the part about the laws regarding media and the royal family. She explained off the record how it works and the risk that one ran by publishing anything considered critical the exalted king. It marked, still to this day, one of the few times in the 7 year history of my program, that I’ve had to turn off a recorder for legal reasons- even just to hear a seemingly harmless explanation of the rules.

Over the years Jiew and I have of course remained in contact, whenever there’s something (and there always is) going on in Thailand or SouthEast Asia, I know I can ask her for help with information or perhaps a good source to better understand what is happening.

Unfortunately, and to my great shock and disappointment, the Thai government is now pursuing a case against her. Claiming, I believe, a violation of the Royal Family criticism laws at her publication; they are seeking a jail sentence. As many watchdog groups have reported, the government is clearly afraid of someone so committed to reporting what is really going on behind the dog-n-pony show Thailand puts on for the tourist masses.

And so an excellent journalist, a friend of this citizenreporter.org, and someone who has dedicated her life to making the world around us a better place faces the looming threat of being convicted of a crime that should have long been stricken from the legal books in favor of real universal human rights. All the more reason for us to help Jiew beat this bogus charge in any way we can, so she can fight twice as hard next time to keep this from happening ever again.

(To be continued, trail posponed to February)

ctrp369 Modern War over Ancient Land

The Temple — Temple photo by flickr member: Everything Everywhere

The Preah Vihear temple is piece of world heritage dating back to the 9th century. But the war being fought over who controls it between Combodia and Thailand is going on right now in 2011.

This past month saw more fighting between both nation’s military, with a number of casualties, all despite the fact that there has been an international court of justice ruling on who rightfully controls the temple. Some forces in Thailand see it as a matter of national pride and heritage to hold on to this ancient site, while the Combodian government answers with their own bravado. In the line of fire lay poor people, historical heritage, and a legacy of violence.

My guest is a blogger, author and concerned Khmer-American Sambath Meas who has appealed to the UN and ASEAN to stop the war and mediate a settlement. You can read her letter and more posts related to this conflict on her site, you can also read her book “The Immortal Seeds: Life Goes on for a Khmer Family”

Update: Sambath just posted a followup video to our interview on her site! In my 6+ years of podcasting, she is perhaps the only guest to ever do so!

bm268 Teenagers and HIV-AIDS in Thailand

An interview recorded in Bangkok with an HIV-AIDS organization that works with children and teenagers.

Hua Hin, Royal Holidays

Originally I was coming to the beachside getaway known as Hua Hin in hopes of being closer to an ongoing conflict further south in this province, between a fishing village and the steel corporation that wants to built a smelter on their shores.

However due to my compulsive buying of a ticket to Cambodia, my Hua Hin and subsequent time in Prachuat Kiri Kahn province will be cut short and Ill head back to Bangkok in less than 24 hours. But I still managed to get down here with a little help from the magic of couch surfing and the international website for people to find and offer places to stay for free, known as hospitalityclub.org.

As it did when I went to New Orleans and met lil Robin, or when I stayed in Heidelberg and stayed with Jenny, the magic of the internet has once again led me to meet a very special human and I’m geatly enjoying my time here with him and his family. An exciting mix of international and thai culture, the highlight of the house has to be the 7 ear old girl who runs around practicing her english and making the cutest faces at everyone. She has leant me a two of her finest stuffed animals, the crocodile and the teddy bear, who she recommended I place on my bed.

Hua Hin is an interesting place. Not unique really, as many many tourists can and do easily get here, 3 hours south of Bangkok. It is more famous for being the vacation place for the royal family. Talk about loved, Thai people seem crazy about the royal Family. As a critical mind and a staunch rebel, I have a hard time understanding it. Every monday there seem to be people wearing all yellow as some sign of royal day, a show of support I guess, for the king. Looking out the window of the extra-cramped minivan I rode down here in, there are photos of the royal family everywhere, especially right smack over the highway or on random billboards. It seems like one of those VERY Thai things.

So after a brief visit to the beach, an elephant farm, and other tourist enemities, I will return to Bangkok, as truth be told, I’m gearing up for my 4 day visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

bmtv85 From Chatachuk Park, Bangkok

It is never easy to pull out a camera and record a message while sitting alone in public. It is even harder when you’re alone, wastern, and tall, sitting in a park talking into a camera in your left hand. The following vlog entry is about my initial impressions after wandering slightly lost near the victory monument and chatachuk market areas of Bangkok.

Citizenreporter in Bangkok, Day 1

There is no shortage of posts on the internets about some westerner’s first day in Bangkok. No shortage of someone writing an opening line like, dam Bangkok is crazy. Or dam Bangkok is a mess. Or, dam, Bangkok is fun! And i find each of these to be valid if you are indeed here as a tourist or on business and you end up in one of the many zones where it seems we outsiders are corralled together in order to be subjected to all manner of proposition. Why on my touristy street, there is even a sock dealer in a shadowing section that you can barely make out in the night, and he’s there all night; dealing socks for all the sock junkies.

You want to hear what I think of Bangkok- but what I must tell you is that anyone that stays in the area I’m in can’t possibly tell you, with any merit, what Bangkok is like. For the most part, what such a person can tell you is what the touristy areas of Bangkok are like. So if you want to know about that, I’ll just say – Ugly yet friendly, desperate yet relaxed. A playground for the outsiders, who include the hotel next door that is populated only by Indian middle class tourists, the hotel down the block that is popular with Sheiks and other middle eastern families of means, and my hotel, the eclectic mix of Europeans, many of which seem to enjoy paying for a young Thai girl or/and boy to accompany them back to the hotel late at night. Just my luck, I’m often on the elevator when they are, uncomfortably wishing them a goodnight as they exit on the 14th floor.

But wait but wait, remember that this is the bullshit area. This is the artificial playpen, where they’ve somehow parked a neverending list of luxurious megamalls that would make any New Jersey based mall look like a quickiemart in comparison.

The highlight of my day one, after wandering the streets all day and doing a bit of educational tourism, was when my great friend who lives in town, who I was introduced to over 4 years ago back in BENELUX, she came to my rescue in the pouring rain.. and delivered us both to a lovely area outside the Royal Palace, on the water, watching the big boats cruise by on the murky water. With a beautiful view of that very famous Thai monument that the whole world would recognize, the wooden establishment was a mini maze of kitchens, dinner tables, Thai young people having a laugh, and stray cats who occasionally jump into your lap during dinner. With a storm coming and going, I was treated to huge bolts of lightening over the river, throughout the meal. It was exactly what I had originally imagined and hoped Thailand would be like, which includes the excellent and super affordable spicy sea food. We sat there eating and discussing all our favorite issues, human trafficing, Thai and Portuguese immigration, language learning, Christiania (yes!), and of course gossip that has been gathering for the last 4 years. She says that on Sunday there’s a big demonstration which I shall (hopefully) attend. And to further illustrate what a great evening it was, I didn’t even bring my camera, because beyond writing about it here, such excellent moments stay burned in my memory, no photo evidence would suffice.