The user-generated map featured the full names, addresses, professions and alleged offenses of more than 400 people, including many students and some activists. It also included their photos, with a black box over their eyes and the number 112: a reference to Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté laws that make insulting or defaming the monarchy punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
“This was a witch hunt map,” Sunai said. “It could lead to physical danger against people who are marked.”
HRW received reports about the map from many people on Monday, some of whom were included in the map and frantically seeking legal advice, he added.
By Monday night, Google had taken down two versions of the map, Reuters reported.
“The issue is now fixed,” Google said in a statement. “We have clear policies about what’s acceptable for user generated My Maps content. We remove user generated maps that violate our policies.”
The company did not respond to specific questions about when it learned of the maps or what it would do to prevent similar incidents.
The maps are the work of a right-wing royalist activist, Songklod “Pukem” Chuenchoopol, who told Reuters that he and a team of 80 volunteers planned to report everyone on them to police for insulting the monarchy.
“When each of us sees something offensive posted on social media, we put it on the map,” he said, adding the maps were also a “psychological” warfare operation intended to dissuade people from criticizing the monarchy online.
At last, Ceballos speaks. “When the train was first announced…I told government officials that if they touched the biosphere, they’d have to deal with me.” As he and his colleagues learned more about the project, and its inevitability, he says, “instead of throwing our hands in the air and calling it an ecocide, we decided to get involved.” Ceballos and his team began modeling the potential ecological impact, and petitioned the government to incorporate wildlife crossings into the plans, to allow animals safe passage between both parts of the reserve. Campos Hernandez notes that the Maya Train project will destroy less forest than illegal loggers do each year. He and Ceballos are now hopeful that the project may actually encourage environmentally sustainable development. “Having the military and the government on our side means we can protect the biosphere from illegal logging and potentially expand the reserve,” says Ceballos. He also believes it could give locals an alternative to illegal logging and hunting. He finishes his tequila, and talk of the Maya Train. “And now, I highly suggest everyone gets some sleep, because we’ve got a four a.m. wake-up call,” he says.
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