Facebook to Challenge Thailand's Order to Block Group That Scrutinizes the Monarchy
August 25 2020 - 10:35AM
Dow Jones News
By Niharika Mandhana
SINGAPORE -- Facebook Inc. said it is preparing to legally
challenge Thailand's government in connection with orders to block
access to a group on the website focused on the Thai monarchy, a
politically sensitive subject in the country.
The private Facebook group, called the Royalist Marketplace, was
created in April and quickly became a forum to debate and
scrutinize the powerful royal family's role in politics. It amassed
a million members at a time when a youthful new movement is
demanding greater accountability from the monarchy.
The subject has long been considered off-limits in the country,
which has strict lèse-majesté laws, including punishments of up to
15 years in prison. But pro-democracy activists are increasingly
questioning those rules and calling for a change in the way the
political system operates.
Facebook halted access to the group within Thailand late Monday,
the latest example of the challenges the social media company faces
in policing its platform and navigating complex political
situations around the world. In Singapore, it has added a
"correction notice" to a post authorities considered false and
agreed to restrict access to dissident political content deemed
illegal in Vietnam.
Facebook's decision to take legal action against Thai government
orders comes at a time when the company is facing criticism over
what its current and former employees said was a pattern of
favoritism in India toward the country's ruling party.
The company said Tuesday it was compelled to restrict access to
content Thailand's government deemed illegal. "Requests like this
are severe, contravene international human rights law, and have a
chilling effect on people's ability to express themselves," a
Facebook spokesperson said.
The Thai government has been applying pressure to Facebook to
restrict "certain types of peaceful political speech," the company
said, adding that authorities have also threatened to pursue
criminal proceedings against Facebook Thailand.
Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society didn't
respond to requests for comment. The palace hasn't publicly
commented on the issue.
The Royalist Marketplace group was created on Facebook by
dissident Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at the
Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University in
Japan.
Mr. Pavin said he started the group to have an "open discussion
of the monarchy" and was surprised by how popular it became.
Shortly after the group was blocked in Thailand Monday, he said he
set up another similar one to continue the conversation. Activists
are closely watching Facebook's next steps, he said.
"If Facebook allows the government to get away easily, then it
would set a bad example," he said.
Write to Niharika Mandhana at niharika.mandhana@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 25, 2020 10:20 ET (14:20 GMT)
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