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AUSTRALIAN political commentator and blogger Murray Hunter is expected to face charges next month in Thailand for criminal intimidation, believed to be linked to his online postings about issues in Malaysia.
Hunter, a former academic, and now a blogger, confirmed that he was detained in Bangkok recently following a report lodged by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
After spending a night in a police cell, Hunter managed to obtain bail after seeking services of a Thai lawyer to manage his case there.
It is a long-standing dispute that Hunter has with the MCMC, which has now come under the spotlight because of a perceived transnational persecution of online postings.
His case is believed to be the first where a person will be charged for an alleged offence committed online in another country despite not being physically in that country.
Hunter is alleged to have made the posting from an accommodation in Thailand and is now facing prosecution there rather than in Malaysia where contents of the posting originated from.
"It is defamation in Malaysia, more of a civil matter but here in Thailand, it is defined as criminal intimidation," said Hunter.
He faces a fine of not more than AUD5,000 if convicted under the kingdom's laws.
In April 2024, MCMC categorically rejected all accusations made by Hunter, who accused the commission of being politically influenced by the current government administration.
The MCMC announced in a statement then that Hunter’s postings were slanderous as he openly accused the commission of acting beyond its jurisdiction for personal interests and claimed that the government linked regulatory and the police were trying to scare the public.
Hunter was charged under Section 328 of the Thai Criminal Code with defamation, where four of his substack listed articles were quoted as defamatory material.
According to reports, critics have compared his case to that of Nuon Thoeun, a Cambodian domestic worker in Malaysia.
In October last year, Cambodian authorities reportedly collaborated with the Malaysian government to arrest and deport Thoeun after she posted criticisms of Cambodia’s former long-serving prime minister and current Senate president, Hun Sen, on her Facebook page.
As for Hunter, he was detained by the Thai authorities at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok about 7.30am as he was about to leave the country to Hong Kong.
“I’m shocked at what is happening. I have not done anything wrong in Thailand,” he claimed.
Hunter said that his case showed that MCMC can detain persons anywhere in the world on ‘trivial matters’ of alleged abuse on online postings.
"One is not spared even if he or she is living outside the country. I think that is the consequence of my detention," he said.
In the past, Hunter was wanted after a series of reprimands by MCMC for alleged unverified reports on his social media and blogs.
After quitting his lecturing post at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, the academic had lived in Haadyai, southern Thai for the past several years.
He had also taught at an institution of higher learning in Thailand and enjoys ties with both Thai and Malaysian civil societies.
He occasionally offers analysis and opinions about the state of governance in Malaysia. - October 8, 2025