Thai govt watches “Let’s Move Abroad” group that’s caught the attention of The Swedish Embassy

Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn

The newly formed Thai Facebook group “Let’s move abroad” has logged more than 650.000 members in just five days. The popularity of the group has caught the attention of some countries in which members have shown an interest, including The Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok. However, the group also displays political content and posts about highly sensitive issues which could violate Thailand’s lese majeste law and the Thai government is keeping an eye on the group, Bangkok Post reports.

The group is reportedly made out of frustration over the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and it aims to share useful information about studying and living abroad.

In a recent post via the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok’s Facebook page, the Embassy listed several reasons why Sweden should be considered for people who are dreaming of moving abroad. “Rights and Protection of Strong Labor, Equality”, “We value innovation” and “Our welfare system covers everyone,” The Swedish Embassy wrote.

The Australian embassy in Thailand also joined the campaign with a post about Australian slang which can be useful to know before moving there. Norway and Japan are also amongst countries of interest in the group.

However, due to some of the sensitive posts spotted in the group, Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn, Digital Economy and Society Minister said to Bangkok Post that the ministry’s working panel is keeping an eye on the new group and has been instructed to take legal action against any illegal content when necessary. Sharing useful information is a good thing that should be encouraged, the Minister said but warned against writing posts with a political agenda, with a perceived intent to cause divisions and offend the royal institution.

In addition, the Minister advised people not to post content that could affect relations between Thailand and other countries, such as how to evade immigration checks.

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