[Though right-wing organizations had published the information of free speech activists in the past, the maps appeared to be the first time various royalist groups banded together to target their opponents, Sunai said.]
But when Sunai Phasuk zoomed in,
the Human Rights Watch researcher saw the symbols didn’t represent places but
people — specifically those who had allegedly criticized the Thai royal family.
The user-generated map featured the
full names, addresses, professions and alleged offenses of more than 400
people, including many students and some activists. It also included their
photos, with a black box over their eyes and the number 112: a reference to
Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté laws that make insulting or
defaming the monarchy punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
“This was a witch hunt map,” Sunai
said. “It could lead to physical danger against people who are marked.”
HRW received reports about the map
from many people on Monday, some of whom were included in the map and
frantically seeking legal advice, he added.
By Monday night, Google had taken
down two versions of the map, Reuters reported.
“The issue is now fixed,” Google
said in a statement. “We have clear policies about what’s acceptable for user
generated My Maps content. We remove user generated maps that violate our
policies.”
The company did not respond to
specific questions about when it learned of the maps or what it would do to
prevent similar incidents.
The maps are the work of a
right-wing royalist activist, Songklod “Pukem” Chuenchoopol, who told Reuters that he and a team of 80 volunteers
planned to report everyone on them to police for insulting the monarchy.
“When each of us sees something
offensive posted on social media, we put it on the map,” he said, adding the
maps were also a “psychological” warfare operation intended to dissuade people
from criticizing the monarchy online.
Though right-wing organizations had
published the information of free speech activists in the past, the maps
appeared to be the first time various royalist groups banded together to target
their opponents, Sunai said.
Thailand considers itself a
constitutional monarchy, though the palace retains wide-ranging powers and is
deeply embedded in the economic and cultural fabric of the country.
But the monarchy’s role has come
under increasing scrutiny after the death of the revered King Bhumibol
Adulyadej. His son, the current monarch, has made headlines for having had
multiple marriages and transferring the royal family’s multibillion-dollar fortune to
himself.
During the past year, tens of
thousands of protesters — many of them students — took to the streets to demand reforms. They were
greeted with a crackdown by the military-backed government.
“More and more [people] have spoken
about the need to reform the monarchy in order for Thailand to have genuine
democracy,” Sunai said, adding they have faced prosecution in the courts and
vigilante harassment by royalists.
HRW had seen an increase in the
number of people charged with insulting the monarchy this year, including
children as young as 14 years old. One of Thailand’s most prominent
opposition leaders has been charged under the law for questioning a deal in
which an obscure company owned by the king manufactures coronavirus vaccines.
In some cases, royalist groups have
“roughed people up” and forced them to apologize to portraits of the king,
Sunai said.
In 2019, several critics of the
military’s involvement in Thai politics say they were physically attacked by mobs. At least nine pro-democracy activists
have disappeared, including one abducted in
Cambodia last year. Two were found mutilated on
a Thai beach.
Social media companies have come
under increasing pressure from governments across Asia that seek to control
content. Last year, Facebook reluctantly agreed to
block Singapore users from accessing a website that the city-state’s
government accused of publishing falsehoods.
“They are expected to be part of
the censorship,” Sunai said of social media companies in Thailand, citing the
government’s recent threat to sue Facebook for not shutting down
certain accounts. “On the other hand, there are demands for social media
platform providers to serve as the last breathing space for free speech in
Thailand.”
Google did the right thing by
taking down the maps on Monday, Sunai said.
“The question is how long they can
withstand these pressures,” he added.
