Mark Zuckerberg will not be meeting with Thai PM Prayuth Chan-ocha later this month, or any time soon, Facebook Thailand said in a statement yesterday.
The response came after Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak announced happily that the Facebook boss would meet with the junta chief on Oct. 30, an event he described as “good for the image of Thailand.”
It’s an image that could use some help, at least when it comes to the world of social media.
The junta has previously tried to enforce censorship on the world’s largest social network and threatened Facebook with legal action over posts deemed illegal in the kingdom, where negative commentary about the monarchy, for instance, can result in jail terms.
“There are no plans currently for any of our senior leaders to visit Thailand,” a copy of the statement sent to Coconuts Bangkok by a Facebook spokesperson reads.
Facebook Thailand declined to comment on whether or not there had even been a meeting with the government set up in the first place.
Rumors spread in local media have suggested that Zuckerberg wanted to meet with the Thai PM privately and cancelled the meeting after it became national news, but neither the government nor Facebook have given those rumors any credence.
Looks like Prayuth’s best chance to talk to Mark now might be a video call.
Related:
Reader Interactions