Excerpt from a color-coded map indicating relative press freedoms, by Reporters Without Borders.
The results are in, and if trends continue, Thailand’s press freedom could overtake that of Afghanistan.
This year, Thailand is slightly less awful about freedom of the press compared to the rest of the world, according to an international press advocacy group.
Of 180 nations ranked, Thailand rose to 130 from 135 in Reporters Without Borders’ “World Press Freedom Index 2014,” just behind Afghanistan and Honduras and a few steps ahead of Cameroon and Indonesia.
In its comments about the Asia Pacific region, Thailand is the third nation singled out, particularly for the chilling effects which result from laws pertaining to discussion of the monarchy.
“The Thai government uses lèse-majesté charges as an effective weapon for intimidating or silencing those who are disrespectful,” the report reads.
That said, although the group’s color-coded map may assign a reddish hue to Thailand, it remains an island of relative freedom surrounded by sinisterly crimson neighbors. Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia rank 144, 145 and 147, respectively. Singapore’s economy may be bangin’ but not its expression. The authoritarian city state ranks 150th. Even India, the “World’s Biggest Democracy,” comes in below Thailand at 140th.
The report considers a variety of factors effecting the free and unfettered expression of the press, and faults governments excusing lapses in freedom for the sake of security as “even endangering freedom of information in countries regarded as democracies. ” This seems to explain the fall of the United States by 13 places to 46th.
