TALK OF A BAN CREATES BUZZ FOR ECONOMIST
Just two hours ago I was in one the Se-ed chain of bookshops in Bangkok. They sell 95 per cent Thai books and magazines with a smattering of English titles thrown in. During the five minutes I was in the store I overheard three Thai people asking for a copy of The Economist. 'Don't have' was the reply in each case from the attendant. Four copies of last week's edition remained on display, unsold.
I understand that Singapore's biggest bookshop Borders have now run out of copies, and none were to be found at Changi Airport either. This information came from a trusted source from an experience earlier this morning.
And if further evidence was needed about the interest in whether or not The Economist has been banned in Thailand there's my own visitors. I've just recorded the best two days in terms of visitors since this adventure began way back in May 2006.
5 comments:
So the Streisand effects works in Thailand as well.
The article is still available on the internet (not filtered by the Great Thai firewall).
Anyone with an internet connection can read it, without risking a possession charge, or print it out.
Do Se-ed customers want to buy the magazine to frame the article or burn it in front of the US embassy?
Thanks for your comments.
I find it pleasing that people still yearn to have the physical edition of the magazine in their hands. The fact that everyone seems to be talking about, even when as you say it's available for free on the internet, says a lot about the future of print media in this part of the world.
Print medium still entails much more credibility. If you speak to the granddaddy- or grandmommy-type about this article and tell them what the world is talking about HMK by referring to the internet, what he/she will tell you is that anyone can say anything on the internet.
But if you show them the print edition, that's another story.
Saraburian. Yes, so true. Plus it's hard to read the internet while you're relaxing in the toilet !
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