An Australian scholar and writer, arrested in Thailand on a defamation charge he said originated with the Malaysian government, claimed on Thursday that he was a victim of broader collaboration among Southeast Asian countries to silence critics.
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Independent scholar and writer Murray Hunter, 66, said that he believes he was improperly arrested by Thai police on Monday for articles he had written about Malaysia in 2024 on his online Substack newsletter, and questioned how his case falls under Thai jurisdiction.
Concerns about cross-border repression have been documented by groups such as Human Rights Watch and UN rights experts, who in a July report expressed “profound concern regarding the reported rise in transnational repression … to deter, silence or punish dissent, criticism or human rights advocacy.”
The report to the UN Human Rights Council said suspected human rights violations also included serious claims of extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances implicating Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, allegations that have been denied by all those countries.
Hunter, who lives in southern Thailand, was arrested on Monday at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport as he was about to board a flight to Hong Kong. He was jailed overnight and then released on 20,000 baht (US$620) bail, pending a court appearance on November 17, 2023.
The charge of defamation by publication against him is punishable by a maximum prison term of two years and a fine of 200,000 baht (US$6,180).