Just in time for the National Book Fair coming to Bangkok, police this morning rated a Bangkok guide writer recognized for issuing materials towards the grain of normal Thai society. Fa Diew Kan, which interprets to “Same Sky”, was raided at about 10:30 this morning by round 30 police officers.
The officers got here with a warrant to look for books “about the monarchy and Thai society” and proceeded to go looking the guide publishers places of work in the Rattanthibet area of the Greater Bangkok suburb province of Nonthaburi. In Hush-hush released by the publishers, they said that the computer and cell phone of the editor and co-founder have been confiscated along with other electronic tools.
The book publishers have gained popularity publishing journals that embrace commentary, analysis, and deep dialogue about Thai life, together with politics, with out shying away from the topic of the monarchy or censoring crucial opinions.
One of their previous publications, The Monarchy and Thai Society by Arnon Nampa, a lawyer and activist however been jailed for protesting the federal government, earned the guide publishers another police raid last March where the authority seized copies of the book and vowed to look them thoroughly for anti-monarchy content.
Fa Diew Kan has a long historical past of butting heads with authorities although, with those two raids being solely the newest in a string of clashes courting back to the early days of the army coup that took energy in 2014 and still holds it today. The co-founder was hauled in for questioning repeatedly and even detained a number of instances shortly after the coup when the army junta tried to prosecute anyone who criticized them.
The book publishers also face authorized battles last 12 months over two books that they had produced where the corporate was accused of disseminating false information and slander. The books were primarily based on a doctoral thesis relating to cold war-era politics by known academic Nattapol Chaiching..