Thailand Arrests Australian Journalist Over Malaysian Defamation Charge
Update: 2025-10-06
Description
Murray Hunter spoke with The Diplomat about SLAPPs and transnational repression.
Thai-based Australian journalist and scholar Murray Hunter was detained by Thai police last week after a Malaysian institution initiated a defamation charge, and made a complaint across the border in Thailand, over his critical writing.
Hunter says his case is the latest example of the expanding use of what has become known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which are being used by governments and others to silence critics of all persuasions at home and abroad through transnational repression.
It’s a tactic that has been deployed everywhere from the Trump administration in the United States to China and is becoming more common in private enterprise. It’s a stark contrast to days long gone when slander and defamation belonged in civil courts and people would sue for financial damages.
Across Southeast Asia, and beyond, defamation is a criminal charge that can warrant pre-trial detention and a lawsuit can be launched in any jurisdiction where a report can be downloaded from the internet, enabling cross-border litigation.
Hunter says SLAPPS are often initiated but not always followed through, with the threat of legal action providing enough of a threat to silence dissenting voices. Because of this, Western countries like Australia are considering anti-SLAPP laws.
Hunter, 66, spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about his plight which began with his arrest while boarding a flight to Hong Kong from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) made its complaints.
He spent the night in prison, was bailed Tuesday morning and will front the courts on November 17, where he is facing a maximum prison term of two years. The MCMC confirmed it had made police reports against Hunter in Malaysia and Thailand.
The ramifications are extraordinary across industry. It's not just journalists, academics or politicians – from a financial analyst who comments on a company to a tourist who reviews a restaurant, all are at risk, Hunter says, of cross-border prosecution for expressing an opinion.
Thai-based Australian journalist and scholar Murray Hunter was detained by Thai police last week after a Malaysian institution initiated a defamation charge, and made a complaint across the border in Thailand, over his critical writing.
Hunter says his case is the latest example of the expanding use of what has become known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which are being used by governments and others to silence critics of all persuasions at home and abroad through transnational repression.
It’s a tactic that has been deployed everywhere from the Trump administration in the United States to China and is becoming more common in private enterprise. It’s a stark contrast to days long gone when slander and defamation belonged in civil courts and people would sue for financial damages.
Across Southeast Asia, and beyond, defamation is a criminal charge that can warrant pre-trial detention and a lawsuit can be launched in any jurisdiction where a report can be downloaded from the internet, enabling cross-border litigation.
Hunter says SLAPPS are often initiated but not always followed through, with the threat of legal action providing enough of a threat to silence dissenting voices. Because of this, Western countries like Australia are considering anti-SLAPP laws.
Hunter, 66, spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about his plight which began with his arrest while boarding a flight to Hong Kong from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) made its complaints.
He spent the night in prison, was bailed Tuesday morning and will front the courts on November 17, where he is facing a maximum prison term of two years. The MCMC confirmed it had made police reports against Hunter in Malaysia and Thailand.
The ramifications are extraordinary across industry. It's not just journalists, academics or politicians – from a financial analyst who comments on a company to a tourist who reviews a restaurant, all are at risk, Hunter says, of cross-border prosecution for expressing an opinion.
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