Ongoing Thai Scandals

Andrew MacGregor Marshall (born March 25, 1971) is a Scottish journalist, writer focusing on conflict, politics, and crime mainly in Asia and the Middle East. In June 2011 he resigned from Reuters in controversial circumstances after the news agency refused to publish exclusive stories he was writing on the Thai monarchy. His 2014 book A Kingdom in Crisis was banned in Thailand and a prominent Thai royalist made a formal complaint to police accusing Marshall of several crimes.

Career

Marshall was a correspondent for Reuters for 17 years, covering political upheaval in Thailand and the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2000, he was named Reuters' Deputy Bureau Chief in Bangkok. He was Reuters' Baghdad bureau chief from 2003 to 2005 as a violent insurgency gripped Iraq, and was Reuters' managing editor for the Middle East from 2006 to 2008. From 2008 he was based in Singapore as a political risk analyst and emerging markets editor. He resigned from Reuters in June 2011 when the agency refused to publish a set of articles about Thailand's monarchy he authored based on his analysis of leaked U.S. diplomatic cables.

“#thaihistory” Controversy

In June 2011 Marshall announced he had resigned from Reuters to publish a set of stories about Thailand that the news agency had refused to run. Later the same month he published the material himself. Entitled "Thailand's Moment of Truth", his study analyzed the role of the monarchy in Thai politics and included references to hundreds of leaked U.S. diplomatic cables. The cables were also later released by WikiLeaks. Thailand has harsh lese majeste laws that criminalize criticism of the royal family, and journalists covering the country have tended to follow a policy of self-censorship, refraining from any comment on the monarchy that could be deemed critical. Marshall's study, usually referred to by its Twitter hashtag #thaistory, used evidence from the cables to argue the monarchy played a central political role in Thailand which had never been properly reported.

In an article for Britain's Independent newspaper, Marshall wrote that as well as having to resign from Reuters, his publication of #thaistory meant he would face jail if he ever returned to Thailand. He said he understood why Reuters had refused to publish the material, given the potential risks to its staff and business in Thailand if it offended the monarchy.  Reuters gave a different explanation, telling The Times and The Independent that:

"Reuters didn't publish this story as we didn't think it worked 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."

Marshall's #thaistory generated significant comment and debate. Nicholas Farrelly, a fellow at the Australian National University, wrote that the initial installments published "have quickly become online sensations", adding "his insights will reverberate in Thai analytical circles for many years to come".  Joshua Kurlantzick, Southeast Asia fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, said Marshall's work was "perhaps the biggest bombshell of reportage on Thailand in decades".  Graeme Dobell of the Lowy Institute for International Policy described #thaistory as "journalism of the highest order" and Pavin Chachavalpongpun of the Institute of South East Asian Studies wrote: "Marshall has undoubtedly helped push the boundaries much further as one looks at the present state of the Thai monarchy."  Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia editor for The Times newspaper, said #thaistory was "a profound study, beyond mere journalism".

The Thai authorities have a policy of not officially acknowledging the existence of controversial Wikileaks cables, and so did not comment on #thaistory. The most vocal Thai critic was Thanong Khanthong, managing editor of the generally pro-establishment Nation newspaper, who questioned the timing of #thaistory's publication so close to an election and claimed it was part of an international plot to destabilize Thailand.  The Political Prisoners in Thailand blog gave #thaistory a critical review, saying it was overly focused on the role and machinations of the elites, leading to "an implicit discounting of the agency and power of subaltern actors, experiences and perspectives".

Death of King Ananda Mahidol

Marshall has done extensive research into the mysterious shooting of Ananda Mahidol, King Rama VIII of Thailand, on June 9, 1946. He argues that the evidence overwhelmingly suggests Bhumibol Adulyadej killed his brother, probably accidentally, and this was covered up to enable Bhumibol to become king.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_MacGregor_Marshall