Sliding down the drain |to a police state

It seems we now have the “thought police” here in Thailand, given the desire of the Technology Crime Suppression Division to access people’s private communications to determine whether they are “proper” or a risk to national security. One finds that certain words are clear indicators of prevailing or anticipated situations. The use of “peoples’ democratic republic” is a clear indication of a dictatorship, and “national security” is commonly used as an excuse by repressive regimes to silence opponents. 

We clearly see national security being cited by the TCSD as a reason to spy on people. The country is slipping inexorably toward a dystopian situation. We already have a Big Brother in control and the police are now seeking to suppress dissent. What next? Perhaps the Bokanovsky Process of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” will be introduced, making the citizens as uniform as possible, and we shall all become Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons, depending on whether we hold pro- or anti-government opinions.

More so now than ever, the Kingdom needs a free and vocal press to check the excesses of an increasingly oppressive state. It seems that an ugly future awaits.

John Patterson

Bangkok