When Tuesday's edition of the International New York Times hit newsstands in Thailand, a front-page story on the country's economy was nowhere to be seen. In place of the article "Thai economy and spirits are sagging" was a blank white space. Page six — where the article was intended to continue — bore this message: "The article in this space was removed by our printer in Thailand. The International New York Times and its editorial staff had no role in its removal."
The cover story reported that "Thailand is in a rut," with its households "among the most indebted in Asia," property crimes up 60 percent in the last year, and the public dissatisfied with the unelected leaders ruling the military junta-led country. "No one feels like smiling anymore," one merchant told The New York Times. "Life is so stressful. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like nothing is working in Thailand anymore."
In Thailand, it is against the law to "criticize, defame, or insult members of the royal family," and dissenters can face jail sentences of up to 15 years on each count, The Guardian reports. The article's removal marks the second time this fall that the paper's local Thai printer blocked an article. The Sept. 22 Asia edition of the International New York Times was only partially published because it featured an article about Thailand's king's declining health.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Sudoku medium: September 13, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th testspeed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Coloradospeed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's studySpeed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-offSpeed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet underseaSpeed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
-
New York plans first nuclear plant in 36 yearsSpeed Read The plant, to be constructed somewhere in upstate New York, will produce enough energy to power a million homes
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study findsSpeed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses
-
Breakthrough gene-editing treatment saves babyspeed read KJ Muldoon was healed from a rare genetic condition
