Censorship in Thailand

Censorship in Thailand involves the strict control of political news under successive governments, including by harassment and manipulation.

Freedom of speech was guaranteed in 1997 and those guarantees continue in 2007. Mechanisms for censorship have included strict lèse-majesté laws, direct government/military control over the broadcast media, and the use of economic and political pressure. Criticism of the king is banned by the constitution, although most lèse-majesté cases have been directed at foreigners, or at Thai opponents of political, social and commercial leaders.

Thailand ranked 59 of 167 countries in 2004 and then fell to 107 of 167 countries in 2005 in Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders. Thailand's ranking fell to 153 of 178 in 2010 and rose to 137 of 179 in 2011–2012. In the 2014 index, Thailand ranked 130 of 180 nations, falling to 142 in 2017 and to 140 in 2018. Provided by Wikipedia