There have been a number of cases recently of people being accused of tarnishing the reputation of Thailand. Thai police have been known to use the Computer Crime Law to prosecute anyone whose opinions differ from theirs. This was recently highlighted during the reporting of an alleged rape of a young British backpacker on the holiday island of Koh Tao. As you may know already, this island is often referred to as “Death Island” by the international media due to a series of unexplained deaths and murders.

In the case of the alleged rape, police were quick to pick holes in her story and they even threatened to blacklist her from ever entering Thailand again. The story was widely reported in the international media. Some of their information came from two online news outlets. As the Thai police didn’t believe the victim’s story, they decided to prosecute the owners of the Samui Times and CSI LA for tarnishing the reputation of Thailand. All of this was done before Thai police had even interviewed the victim and finished collecting evidence.

I am not going to discuss here my own opinions on whether the young lady was really raped or not. I am not privy to any evidence in this case. However, there have been successful prosecutions in the past of foreign tourists pretending that they were robbed or raped. People do that for various reasons including wanting to claim on insurance. Maybe things would have gone differently if she had reported the case herself to the Thai police. But I do feel for her and her family as victims of crime in Thailand, particularly rape, are not treated in a proper and sympathetic manner. Victims are often asked how much they had drunk and what they were wearing, as if they provoked the attack themselves.

This and other recent cases have resulted in the British Foreign Office updating their travel advice on Thailand:

“You should report any incidents of crime to the Thai police before leaving the country. If you do not, your case may not be investigated. You should be aware that the reporting of crimes in the media is different from that in the UK. Local authorities, including the police, may give detailed press briefings. There have been instances where the victims of crime have been identified and threatened with prosecution by the police for damaging Thailand’s reputation.” (Source: gov.uk)

And this old advice is still very relevant:

Violent sexual assaults and unprovoked attacks have been reported in popular tourist destinations, including in the Koh Samui archipelago and Krabi province. These are particularly common during the monthly Full Moon parties and generally occur late at night near bars. Drink spiking has been reported in tourist destinations around Thailand, with both male and female victims. Be careful about taking drinks from strangers and at clubs and parties, or leaving your drinks unattended, particularly in Koh Tao, Koh Samui, Pattaya and at the Full Moon party on Koh Phangan, where date rapes have been reported.” (Source: gov.uk)

Please note, due to the Computer Crime law in Thailand, I have closed comments on this post.