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Part of the title of a book translated into Thai by a Chinese dissident and published by Sam Yan Press.
Sam Yan Press, a student-run publisher in Thailand, clearly A Bangkok-based private company offered to stop operations in exchange for 2 million baht or US$52,770.
Sam Yan was founded in 2017 by student activists. Netiwit Chotipathfaisal Promote books about democracy. Over the years, it has published books by prominent Chinese dissidents, including 2014 Hong Kong protest leader Joshua Wong, 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, and imprisoned Uyghur scholar Ilham Toti. I was. We also support the #MilkTeaAlliance pro-democracy movement started by activists in Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
After gathering evidence on this matter, we were reluctant to release it due to concerns for our safety. But today we decided to speak up. Details will be released tomorrow. please let me know. pic.twitter.com/PxTELeIprZ
— Sam Yang Press (@SamyanPress) October 25, 2022
Sam Yan said he was first contacted by the company in May. The offer was repeated in September, when his client was a Chinese businessman who wanted to establish good relations with the Beijing authorities by showing that he was influential in Thailand.
9/28 email details, translation. (6/12) pic.twitter.com/8miccvVJRM
— Sam Yang Press (@SamyanPress) October 26, 2022
The proposal required Sam Yang to issue a dissolution certificate ahead of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which will be held earlier this month.
Sam Yan Press was contacted by a Chinese businessman who claimed to want good relations with the Chinese government and asked him to close down the company. Here’s the detailed story and evidence: (Thread, 1/12) pic.twitter.com/w63u8Bwva8
— Sam Yang Press (@SamyanPress) October 26, 2022
Sam Yan met with company representatives and formally declined the offer. Note that the financial offer could have paid the salaries of the company’s five full-time employees for two years.
In an interview with Voice of America, Editor-in-Chief Jirapriya Sam Yan said he believed he was targeted because he wrote a book supporting pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.
I think it’s because I publish Thai books on Chinese politics and dissidents, Hong Kong, Joshua Wong, Xinjiang oppression, and most recently Taiwan’s independence.
We actually feel fear, but it doesn’t change. As before, we will continue to publish and update on Chinese politics and other issues. But we need more training on how to protect ourselves.
The Samyang Editorial Board has released a statement explaining why it has decided to open the offer to the public.
We are grateful to the Chinese authorities for acknowledging our activities and seeing the possibility of truth that we have always demanded. At first, I was afraid to speak up about security and protection. Nevertheless, this violation of press freedom and rights can no longer remain silent.
Despite the incident, we continue our task.we Blame Any means used by authorities to harass and manipulate challengers. Finally, we urge all news outlets and publishing sectors to oppose the censorship of the regime and the cooperation of independent groups.
While there are no known links between Chinese businessmen and Chinese state institutions, the incident reflects a growing attempt to influence pro-China media narratives around the world. .
The Sam Yang website is down As of this writing, the cause is under investigation.
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