The Thai Military Government has blocked this site, the website of British journalist Andrew Drummond in Thailand, for reasons yet to be made clear, apart from the fact it is viewed by somebody as damaging to Thailand.
The block was imposed last Friday and relates only to viewership in Thailand. The site can be seen in the rest of the world and from within Thailand easily enough by using a VPN either paid for or free such as Tor or Hola, or HideMe.
Normally the Thai government only blocks sites which are in breach of lese majeste regulations, internet porn, or sites which are deemed to contain political subversion.
This site however in the main is dedicated to exposing fraudsters and foreign criminals in Thailand.
No strong line for or against the current government has been adopted although government officers have been connected on this site to international fraud operations run by foreigners; and rake-offs from government commissions.
A request has been to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand to establish the reason for the ban.
Andrew Drummond has been an accredited foreign correspondent in Thailand for 25 years, for the London Evening Standard for the last five years, and for the London Times the preceding ten years. His accreditation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been withdrawn and remains valid until mid November 2015.
He arrived in Thailand some 25 years ago initially as a foreign correspondent for the ‘Observer’ newspaper, and was joint founder and was joint founder of the Observer Film Company, which the newspaper launched with the film ‘Lord of the Golden Triangle’ an investigation by Drummond filmed mainly in the camp of drug lord Khun Sa, aka Chan Shi Fu, in the Shan States of Burma.
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| Early days in Asia – filing in the Shan States |
He also tracked down Gary Glitter (Paul Francis Gadd) in Vietnam which lead to the former rocker’s arrest on child abuse charges.
The site has been repeatedly under threat since its formation. Those threats have mainly come from foreign criminals whom have repeatedly been exposed on the site.
These include fake lawyers Drew Noyes, an American based in the Thai resort of Pattaya, who was exposed before he arrived in Thailand by the Morning Star (now the Star) in Wilmington, North Carolina, who is appealing a two year jail sentence in Thailand for extortion and Brian Goudie, 48, from Falkirk, Scotland, who was jailed in Australia for six years under the name Gildie for theft,
before arriving in Thailand claiming to be a barrister and former officer in the Royal Marines.
Andrew Drummond has been embroiled in a series of Computer Crime cases brought by both. Brian Goudie is currently on trial in Thailand for cheating an American woman aged 76, out of US$250,000, in legal fees to defend her son, child sexual abuse charges.
He is currently in the UK with his three children after receiving threats from ‘boiler room’ fraud operators targeting Britain from Thailand. He had claimed a military general had been offering these groups protection.
He said: “Obviously I will ask the relevant authorities to state the reason as this makes the authorities a lot less benevolent than they make themselves out to be. Without knowing why the military government made their decision i will not make a specific comment.
Suffice to say it feels creepy and of course it will not change anything except for perhaps deprive temporarily people from being given an alternative view of what is actually happening in Thailand – a view which they will not read in the mainstream English language media.
“But if anybody wants to reach the site from Thailand they can easily do so.”
“One of the site’s main aims is to warn people of the foreigners who are exploiting the country as well as other foreigners and to provide news available in English which is not served up by the traditional media.
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“I rather think Drew Noyes is an unlikely reason for the ban, though he has attempted to influence the Thai government before. Only two weeks ago a member of the Public Relations Department of Thailand gave evidence on my behalf in a case I was bringing against him for falsely claiming in his now defunct ‘Pattaya Times’ that my press card had been withdrawn.
“Noyes and Goudie are not people the Thai government should put any credence in. I would however be most concerned if this decision was actually prompted by Thai media organization.”
This site has consistently exposed ne’er do wells in Thailand from drugs clinic bosses on drugs, revealing murders that were covered up, exposing foreign criminals who have re-invented themselves as pillars of society, fake lawyers, drugs traffickers, and of course boiler room operators.
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| Latter days – confronting boiler room operators along the Petchaburi Road, Bangkok |
Its has also exposed scammers in the media industry and of course was instrumental in the demise of the Pattaya Times.
You could also publish stories on a Facebook page to circumvent the blocking.
It works fine for me, posting this in Thailand without using a VPN.
I can still see it within Thailand from a DTAC aircard
In his zeal to take advantage of the freedom afforded by his relocation to the UK, far from the libel/defamation circus, AD's bolder, more critical approach both towards the criminals and their local facilitators, went too far. More than a few of his stories have publicly implicated army generals and, with the option of dragging him through the libel courts unavailable to them, the authorities have done the next best thing and simply made the irritation go away.
Sadly, this has also had the effect of neutering one of, if not THE most high-profile lines of attack against the boiler room operators. I was out in Sukhumvit soi 11 this past Friday and Saturday night and, right hand to God, I'm sure I saw a group of 8-10 of some of the hottest Thai girls ever whooping it up and "twerking" suggestively, rap video-style, up against the loins of two shaven-headed Brits drinking from jeroboams of Bollinger. . .
Of course, there are several ways to circumvent the MICT's block on AD's site but I doubt his few remaining advertisers will be impressed by talk of their target audience having to use proxy servers and VPNs to see their banner ads. I'd expect donations to dry up soon too. I suppose we've got the Consortium of Defrauded Victims to carry on the fight but given their curiously slothful approach to updates and an apparent lack of ammunition, I most certainly won't be holding my breath for a court appearance by the surviving "Wolves of Bangkok".
By thumbing his nose at the Wolves from the safety of Blighty, he was also doing the same to the dodgier members of the Thai military. This braver, more defiant approach has ultimately proven to be AD's undoing and while I wouldn't credit the fraudsters with the ability or strategic foresight to engineer this outcome, clearly they got what they wanted; namely, a de facto end to the site without spending a satang.
Well Marlo. You have presented yourself as a person who completely misunderstands the ethos of this site. First of all it is not to make money – and it is not how I make my living. The advertising is there to remove my burden and pay for costs. If the site breaks even – fine. If it does not – and it never has that's fine too. This is merely an extension of my real work and the internet provides the opportunity to keep stories alive and the exploiters to the forefront. What the Thai authorities see or hear is neither here nor there. What the world sees is much more important.
The simple fact is that because of the scale of corruption and other influences within Thailand it would have been impossible to write a number of stories from within Thailand anyway. And I certainly was not going to hang around for things to change. As for a court appearance in Bangkok of these 'Wolves' nobody has ever suggested that would happen in Thailand whether I was in or out of the country. That has to come from international pressure – from law enforcement. The blocking of this site in Thailand comes as a plus for the time being. Advertisers are most often supporters and if they ask for reduction in rates I would of course happily give them, Several of the ads have been free because people help me in other ways. The high profile line of attack attacks BR operators has not been affected – though they have attempted to track me down in the UK. Cheers
Marlo you seem to be a tad smarter than Noyes or Goudie/Goldie, at least you can put together a coherent sentence, but your backhanded compliments seem to give you away. Which boiler room do you work for? Very interesting that you have only popped up recently to either comment on or share opinions regarding the boiler room crews.
"In his zeal to take advantage of the freedom afforded by his relocation to the UK, far from the libel/defamation circus, AD's bolder, more critical approach both towards the criminals and their local facilitators, went too far."
Actually "Marlo," you are 180 degrees off base, as you not so cleverly attempt to do more damage to the cause. You revel in the negative environment. One second you seem to waver between support of Andrew's investigative journalism of Boiler Room scum, the next you throw literary grenades. Your thinly veiled attempt to ridicule this site speaks volumes as to your real motive.
Is it because you weren't taken the cleaners by these scam artists, or is it because you resent the fact that Andrew got away from a place where he could have been killed? I bet you'd have stayed – NOT.
Your ultra thinly veiled agenda is easily surmised, as you praise and point fingers at the same time. You can't have it both ways and expect to be seen as a supporter of Andrew's work against the Boiler Room Boys.
By default then, you are in the camp of the Boiler Room Boys, with your less than tepid support. Why don't you say what you really think – oh, you already did. How much did they pay you to write this crap? Did they throw in an at-risk girl for good measure?
Maybe once you become a victim you'll change your stripes. NOT likely, LOL. Your post is about 60 Shades of Grey, but we know where your brain matter is really at. Pity, as you were obviously intelligent – before the rot set in.
Ka Ching..
It must have been a good payday for someone in high places!
It's cut and dried, black and white, with no room for tepid wanna be's, who delight in picking wings off flies, faux bullies that line up on their knees to lick the feet of the Boiler Room Boys.
Signed,
The sound of excessive vomiting
Phuket Police Have Been Helping Phi Phi Rapists Avoid Investigation, Says Honorary Consul
April 21, 2015, Phuket: Rapists have been getting away with their crimes – especially on the rites-of-passage holiday island of Phi Phi – because police on Phuket have refused to investigate, a meeting between honorary consuls and Phuket's Governor heard today. Norway's honorary consul, Sornpornwan Srikram, told the gathering that young tourists were the victims of rape on Phi Phi. Phuketwan.com
And that ain't all they refuse to investigate!! Boiler Room Boys get prime treatment in the Kingdom. Someone on their tail? Mr. Drummond? Shut down the fuc—- site.
And that's merely the thin end of the wedge in the Land of Scams. It's a perfect environment for the Boiler Room Boys, their lackeys and concomitant Keyboard Warrior sycophants-apologists.. so come at me Bro.
"Why don't you say what you really think – oh, you already did."
The point I was making before you twisted my words in the way that only a seasoned Thaivisa forum vigilante and rocking chair detective can, is that AD allowed his frustration and anger at being more or less hounded out of Thailand to influence the delivery of his exposés and that was a mistake; the kind of mistake an on-the-ball AD never made in years of going after the boiler room operators. This has dealt the battle against them a major blow from which it will likely take a long time recover.
I "praise and point fingers at the same time" because I feel frustrated at how defeat has been snatched from the jaws of victory . . . albeit a pyrrhic one. Clearly, AD was doing some damage with his stories and links to the CDV's more in-depth dossiers – why else would the fraudsters up the ante and issue the kind of threats that left our guy in no doubt that he had to leave? If he'd maintained the war of attrition used to such good effect while he was here, the site would still be accessible from Thailand today. He should have left the finger-pointing at the generals to the CDV.
I'll not bother responding to your idiotic musings suggesting I'm working for the boiler rooms but I will say that an overactive imagination can be addressed to some extent by ADHD medication – hit your GP up for a scrip.
AD's actions deserved the criticism leveled at them; at least it's constructive. As someone else suggested, it might be a good idea to move the fight to Facebook.
You are still hopelessly missing the point Marlo. Where is the defeat? My leaving Thailand? You do not really think I was going to carry on in Thailand for any length of time with three children aged ,2 , 5, and 7 anyway did you. I had signaled I was leaving a long time ago, They do NOT need an education in Thailand but in the UK. The BR guys merely hastened my departure but not by any long period. Where is the frustration and anger. I don't feel any. My reports about boiler rooms had become more specific because having left I was able to use names and material it would be unsafe to do so in Thailand. I also signaled that would happen. I am happy to put my name to allegations. The CDV with whom I cooperate still do not. Also you are rather exaggerating the fallout the Thai government ban might have on the site.Its still sunny where I am.
I see only one poster with idiotic musings. I suggest you stop accepting those yaba bonuses your GM hands out for closing deals. I've heard chronic use can result in psychosis. You talk more shite than Goudie but try to sugar coat it with spurious compliments.
"I see only one poster with idiotic musings"
Tell you what, come back when your stones have dropped. Until then, leave the rational discourse to the adults, there's a good lad.
It's become apparent that you are nothing more than a troll.
troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response.
Says the man whose first comment was a churlish accusation that I'm employed by the boiler rooms simply because I dared to air my views on where I felt AD had gone wrong.
His replies have since set me straight on a couple of points and I've accepted them. This is what happens in mature, sensible discourse.
You, however, have just shown yourself to be yet another little man with a big mouth online. I expressed an opinion; if you didn't like what I had to say, that was fine – you could've offered a mature rebuttal – but, instead, you launched into full Thaivisa mode (name calling and childish fabrications borne of an over-fertile imagination) and, in doing so, just made yourself look rather foolish.
Marlo, I hate to admit it but you have won me over. I get chills when you put me in my place with your expansive vocabulary. I love you now and forever and always will. I was just playing hard to get. My name calling and childish fabrications were a result of my jealousy of you. I have provided AD with my contact information. I'll show you mine, if you show me yours. I'll be waiting with bated breath.
And there it is, ladies & gents; the classic, last-ditch attempt at salvaging a bruised ego – the online hard man's invitation to switch the field of battle from one on which he is woefully ill-equipped to do battle – namely, intelligent debate – to one on which he thinks he has a chance to prevail – namely, a punch up.
I'll leave it to you to ruminate on just what an absolute, categorical, unmitigated loser this "NOT Drew Noyes" is
Was blocked at internet cafe on a TOT line
Marlo "Black" Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO television drama The Wire, played by actor Jamie Hector.
AD makes an interesting point in the last sentence of his reply to Marlo – something I was thinking about as I read Marlo's post.
AD is now thankfully out of Thailand, and safe from libel action from corrupt Thai generals and low-life expat criminals resident there.
But these unscrupulous individuals would, (I imagine), stop at nothing to exact "revenge" for having their criminal activities revealed to the world by AD.
In sum, Andrew, stay safe – even though you are in Blighty.
That I lost in excess of a million dollars USD by dubious means in the market in 2011 (over 90% of my live savings from 30 plus years of work) is not the reason I dislike Thai expat stock market scammers intensely. Pfffft.
I intensely dislike boiler room expats in Thailand (with bald heads, plenty of tats, a nefarious agenda to rip money off "suckers," beer bellies and proud, arrogant attitudes) on general principle.
I dislike them so much that in the throes of their imminent demise, I'll look at them as a bird of prey looks at it's next meal, with zero empathy, LOL..
The entitlement is coming to an end for many of the BR boys. Bullard just kicked the bucket up in Chiang Mai. Next.
Signed,
Karma
Angry topic. I wonder what the future of the site will hold? Will you continue AD?
Point taken Dumbfounded. There does appear to be some excessive Thaivisa style squabbling going on here. Constructive criticisms accepted. Insults will be rejected..even if they come in on the last line of a constructive post.
It must be nice to breath the fresh air of freedom…not the pervasive stench of corruption that Thailand offers. Good luck in the UK AD!