Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Most people here are not familiar with laws in Thailand and should not assume that every country has exactly same laws.

I’m not taking a side here on purpose, because certain laws would apply to me then.

a) yahoo article is biased and incomplete. Don’t take it as the truth.

b) if a official report (complaint) was filed at police station then the person who complaint was about must appear at that station so they can make their own statement into same journal.

c) since company is on an island it’s normal across the world that jurisdiction of that location applies.

If other articles are to be believed (posted by others here already), the company had sufficient reason to proceed as they did. https://mothership.sg/2020/09/sea-view-resort-defamation-law...

It’s not likely that the guy will go to jail. Most cases are arbitrated before they go to actual trial.

However if the foreigner were found to be in violation of the law he most likely won’t receive the maximum punishment.

A lot depends also how he reacts at court. Could go with a slap on the wrist or much worse.

Completely unrelated to this case but relevant - some companies do go overboard with defamation lawsuits but it’s quite rare actually. Lots of Thai people and foreigners write negative reviews and nothing happens at all

- it’s not unheard of foreigners to go ballistic due to language and cultural difference. However also Thai customers do happen to sometimes get overboard and cause problems unnecessary

- The situation is really dire on islands. I went to another this weekend and most resorts and restaurants/ pubs had shut down for good. The remaining open ones aren’t operating profitably as there is are less than 10% of regular domestic and foreign tourists there.

- Lots of visitors have also less money to spend. Salaries have been reduced and many people lost jobs. Tourism sector was hit the hardest.

- There is currently no way for foreign tourists to enter Thailand. But we do see Thai and foreign people traveling within the country. Not so many but also not none.

I really invite everyone to get familiar with laws in Thailand and with all the details of the situation before taking sides.




The law is unjust. The anti-defammation law was used to stifle press freedom and suppress journalists. It doesn't matter whether it's lawful in Thailand or not, freedom of speech without the fear of persecution is a part of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. (Whether you think it has a legal basis or not, it's the only thing we can look up to when authoritarian governments can pass whatever stipulation they want and call it legal.) In this case, I believe the owner of the resort has no ill intention, however, it is using an unjust instrument to inflict a questionable punishment on other people.


> the person who complaint was about must appear at that station so they can make their own statement into same journal.

I’m sure you can imagine this being rather difficult for a tourist who is back home on the other side of the planet.


[flagged]


I’m not sure who you’re astroturfing for but nowhere did I talk about following Thai laws. I didn’t even actually specify my comment was about this person. Did the law change when the borders closed? Is there something that prevents this ridiculous chain of events unfolding for someone who is not in the country?

If I post an unfavorable review about a Thai business from across the world, can they just summon me to a Thai court?


> can they just summon me to a Thai court?

Of course, but they cannot make it effective until you enter Thailand.


Out of curiosity, I wonder how'd they'd address the summons for someone overseas whose personal details (eg home address) they probably don't know?




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: