Book ban pleases author Andrew Marshall

His book has been banned and he's delighted.

Andrew Marshall (photo), former Reuters journalist, says he would have been “very offended” if Thai police had not banned his recently published book A Kingdom in Crisis.

Marshall, now a freelance journalist and analyst on Thai culture and politics, says his book was based in part on information from classified US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks as well as contacts within Thailand’s royal establishment.

National police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said in a statement that the book “insults, defames and threatens Thailand’s monarchy. The book is a danger to national security and a peaceful and orderly society.” 

Thailand’s strict lèse majesté laws prohibit any discussion deemed harmful to the monarchy.

The police chief was reported to have banned the book after reading reviews in the South China Morning Post and The Independent. The ban has given Marshall free publicity around the world.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 86, is protected by some of the world’s strictest defamation laws. Anyone found owning or reading the book in Thailand faces prison for up to three years or a maximum fine of 60,000 baht ($1,824), or both. Marshall, who does not live in Thailand, could be jailed for up to 15 years for “insulting the king, queen, heir or regent”.

“I am fundamentally opposed to the banning of books, and I don’t see how Thailand can hope to solve its problems peacefully unless Thais are allowed to openly discuss and debate all aspects of their politics and history,” Marshall said. “Censorship and suppression can only make the crisis worse, and increase the risk that there will be more violence. However, I’m personally delighted that the Thai police have banned my book. I would have been very offended if they hadn’t. My book is intended to challenge the myths and fairy tales of the Thai elite, and the ban shows I did my job properly,” he told an interviewer for website Asian Correspondent.

Marshall, a graduate trainee who became a war correspondent and bureau chief, resigned from Reuters three years ago over a story about Thailand that he said it refused to run. He was a senior editor in Singapore at the time.

Reuters said the story was not published because it did not work in the format in which it was delivered. “We had questions regarding length, sourcing, objectivity, and legal issues. Also, we were concerned the writer wasn’t participating in the normal editing process that would apply to any story Reuters publishes.”

PHOTO: Andrew Marshall at a recent meeting at the Frontline Club, London. ■