You might only think of Thailand as a popular tourist destination. In fact, the Thai government is just as willing to target civil society organizations that oppose its authoritarian measures.
Human rights nonprofit Amnesty International urged Thai authorities this week to investigate claims of state-sponsored cyberattacks against human rights organizations and pro-democracy activists following the leak of internal government documents that seemingly detailed such an operation.
The documents, revealed by opposition lawmaker Chayaphon Satondee during a parliamentary debate last month, describe a coordinated campaign by Thai police and military units operating a joint “Cyber Team” tasked with undermining civil society organizations, including Amnesty International, through phishing attacks, social media manipulation and disinformation.
According to the leaked materials, the team identified Amnesty as a “high-value target” and sought to discredit the organization’s work, particularly during politically sensitive periods such as the country’s 2023 general election. Other groups reportedly named in the documents include international NGOs, local civil society networks and prominent democracy advocates.
Historically, Thailand has used legal means to intimidate journalists and activists. By relying on targeted spyware and OSINT, there is a remarkable shift towards extrajudicial pressure.
“These incidents appear to mark a shift from the use of formal legal tools — such as the Computer Crime Act — toward more covert and asymmetric digital tactics, including digital surveillance, social media manipulation, and reputational attacks,” she told Recorded Future News.
The Computer Crime Act addresses cybercrimes such as hacking, online fraud and the dissemination of illegal content in Thailand. The law has been controversial at times, particularly regarding its broad interpretation of what constitutes harmful content, which some critics argue could be used for censorship or to suppress free speech.