Overview

• On July 27 and again on August 6, Chinese embassy staff backed by Thai authorities pressed the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre to remove and obscure works critical of Beijing’s human rights record.
• Gallery communications seen by Reuters show warnings transmitted via Thailand’s Foreign Ministry and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration compelled curators to black out artists’ names and redacted the words “Hong Kong”, “Tibet” and “Uyghur”.
• Art by exiled creators Clara Cheung, Gum Cheng Yee Man, Tenzin Mingyur Paldron and Mukaddas Mijit was among the installations removed or altered under embassy pressure.
• Curators from the Myanmar Peace Museum and affected artists have fled Thailand due to safety concerns linked to the embassy and police interventions.
• The censorship illustrates Beijing’s growing extraterritorial influence over overseas cultural institutions and the precarious balance between artistic freedom and Thailand’s diplomatic ties with China.