Bangkok Inside Out banned in Thailand?
- December 6, 2005
[If there is one thing Thais do not like is foreigners drawing
attention to unsavory or contradictory aspects of society--and
if the news of the 'offending' item ends up in the Thai-language
press, authorities will take action no matter how nonsensical
it may seem.]
From a
press release (PDF, 170KB): ...On November 22, Thailand's
prominent daily newspaper Kom Chad Luek ran a front page story
quoting a senior Thai government official, Ms Ladda Tangsuphachai,
Director of Cultural Monitoring at the Thai Ministry of Culture,
alleging that Bangkok
Inside Out taints the image of Thailand and its people.
The article states that our book "discusses negative subjects
such as fake goods, gambling, gay performances, touts and scams,
and places such as Patpong, Nana, and Khaosan Road," and
singles out a photograph that shows a bar girl on a farang's
(foreigner's) lap. Ms Ladda is quoted as saying that "According
to the Constitution, the press has freedom to publish. So, all
we can do is to take the problematic books off the shelf."
...Asia Books and Bookazine, the two largest English-language
book chains in Thailand, have removed our books from their shelves
after being informed that anyone caught selling our book was
subject to a fine and/or imprisonment... (via Friskodude)
Bangkok Inside Out banned in Thailand?
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