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The text is a couple of years old (and is publicly available in my Researchgate page). For an update (that I cannot share from my work computer) please wait for a second email. All I am asking is that you spread the world and reach out to your contacts if you are able to. Many thanks, Jaime.
And please keep in mind that I am sending out these messages from hacked devices. I will send them again from a non-hacked device as soon as I can.
November 2023
This text refers to the 6-year long campaign of hate, hacking and harassment against me and my family, dating back to my work at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) in 2014-17. The hacking continues to this day. This is also a word of warning and an exposé.
I worked for a university called Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok (Thailand) between 2014 and 2017. It was never an ideal job but at least it was a job and I could pretend I was doing academic work. I enjoyed teaching there for a while, I liked the students and I had the privilege of creating my own classes. My employer was a program called BALAC at the Faculty of Arts.
Things went south during my last year due to the fact that I was doing research on a gentrification project carried out by the university. They did not like my approach, I suppose, but they did renew my annual contract. What I did in my research, and what bothered them so much, was a critique of "siwilai" or the Thai notion of "civilization". Long story short: during the final semester, maybe from December 2016, many of my accounts (both work and personal accounts) and several of my devices were accessed.
The hacking started from my work computer and I traced it back to the IT department. This is the key: I offended someone important, which made the hacking OK. No one could or did oppose to this. I also noticed that at least some of my coworkers were fully aware of the situation, and that my private stuff (from chat logs to photos to Amazon shopping lists) was being shared somewhere online for their entertainment. As soon as I realized they were hacking and doxxing me while looking the other way, I made plans to leave and I became a rather obnoxious employee. I quit the job that summer and left Thailand shortly after.
To my surprise the hacking continued, and indeed continues to this day. They have broken into my wife's phone, some of my parents' devices and all the contacts they have been able to locate (fortunately only a handful of those). The doxxing is a constant, then, a live feed. It is a bit of a circus, if I'm completely honest, with my private life being exposed and dragged through the mud, and strangely too a bunch of expats validating the whole thing on Twitter (X).
I think that this group was already established when I was still working at Chulalongkorn U. I suppose the same goes for Facebook and other platforms. For years, I tried to ignore the issue. After all I am not in Thailand and it does not affect me all that much. But the situation has only worsened over time, with my family and contacts being targeted. The tone changed, too. Last time I checked, it was all a long thread of disturbing “subtweets” or whatever you call that now. The underlying theme was hurting me and my family. As regards the "educated Thais" behind this affair, my own educated guess is that they are petty and cowardly and lacking a moral compass; also they live in fear of higher powers that do control their lives in Thailand.
Again, it all started at Chulalongkorn University (Faculty of Arts) when I was still working there. Apart from everything else, my work (in the form of stolen drafts) has been circulated among these so-called professors who for some reason feel entitled to comment on it on social media. I doubt they understand much or any of it. Just have a look at their publications to get a grasp of how little they have to say in their own research. Regardless they did not hesitate to actively promote the hacking and harassment when I was still working there. One of the professors involved in it from the start was Pasuree Luesakul, and I have reasons to suspect that this person has fed information to the hacker or hackers, since at one point they were planting malware in academic links related to my area/s of expertise.
The problem persists as of November 2023. They are still stealing, circulating and commenting on drafts stolen from my current book project. There is only that much I can do to protect myself since they are also accessing my devices and files through my wife’s phone, work computers and home router.
I first told the story here in December 2021, and I have since republished and expanded it. Using email and Twitter Direct Messaging, I have told this story to a long list of people connected to Thailand, including journalists. As of November 2023 I still periodically contact them asking for assistance, but at the moment I have no friends or contacts to support me from inside the "Thai bubble". A few contacts have expressed their concern (in a more or less indirect way) that too many people may be involved, including their work colleagues.
I have addressed the doxxing on social media, teasing and ridiculing them at every opportunity. I am rather alone in this fight, though. Needless to say, while I have nothing against Thailand, it was never an ideal place for me and I have no plans to return. The people behind this are trying to save face and cannot backtrack. It's a shame because I am playing an entirely different ball game: I am exposing them and their thuggish ways, what every normal person would do. Other than "putting me in my place" (i.e. face politics) I have no idea what they are looking for. They seem to think that they are affecting my mental health (not likely) and that they are stopping me from furthering my academic career by making my internet life difficult (also not likely).
Like I said, superstition is probably part of it - clearly they are putting a disproportionate amount of time and resources into my case. They are spending money on it: that I wear as a badge of honor. I will circulate the story so long as they keep invading my privacy. The truth is I'll never know for sure when the hacking is over. To be clear, I have shared this story (or an earlier version of it) with every foreign journalist linked to Thailand or Southeast Asia that I could think of. Some have received several versions of the story and they still do (I don’t blame them for not answering). I have also sent my story to many cybersecurity experts, colleagues and contacts.
As for the expats involved, one can only wonder what's in it for them. They are certainly glad the spotlight is on someone else. I never knew any of them personally. Some of these journalists seem to be afraid of losing their English-speaking Thai contacts (that's all that counts in Thailand) who in turn and for some reason look up to native English speakers as the only legitimate source of siwilai. Many are living in Bangkok: they fear Thailand's defamation laws or simply have a very real sense of the low-key intimidation in the air (not unusual in Thailand). Some of these individuals might be up to no good and fear the collapse of their Thai lifestyle, but you sensed that already. Mob mentality explains the rest.
I do care about the community of foreign bystanders and, or, instigators. This is their show. They are the ones who started pushing a violent agenda against me and my family on Twitter, and the main reason why I am speaking out. My only hope is that these expats are named and shamed, and their ways exposed, and my only fear is that they may get away with this. No, it is not banter. Here's a selection of their Twitter handles. If you want to start investigating, I suggest you start here. Some "high profile" journalists such as @zenjournalist have been less explicit but equally instrumental in keeping the fire burning. Once again, I do not know these people personally and I would have no reason to accuse them of anything, had they not joined a lynching mob. With the exception of Neil Shelley (I only remember this person’s comments on my private life, not the threats) they have all incited violence against me and my family:
• atGen777777. He’s an American, has some sort of office job in Bangkok.
• atAjarncom. Retired British ESL teacher, his name is Phil and he runs a website for English teachers.
• atBKKsomchai. British teacher, his name is James. He locked his account, and I resent that. His drunken tirades were something to be witnessed.
• attheoglaurawalsh. Canadian. Formerly Laura Takenaka
• attheshellman. From New Zealand, his name is Neil Shelley.
• atyarpegleg. American. Though not a lawyer he makes a living providing legal advice to foreigners.
• at_mikemckay. Used to run a nightlife-centered website called stickboybangkok.
• atbirdiebangkok. ESL Tteacher. About a year ago, I mentioned her in an attempt to expose the threats. Since then she has been much more subtle – she used to be rather vicious.
• atfezzifezzino. Retired in Phuket and, like ajarncom, on a tight budget and bored out of his skull.
To repeat myself, these and many other people, for the most part Bangkok-based, have been using Twitter to comment on my private life. They have access to a social media group where information stolen from my devices and accounts is regularly posted. This is not an instance of hacking or one isolated threat, which would be serious enough. It is multiple devices, accounts, and people hacked, and years of daily updates on my private life. It’s a live feed: this very document is being read as I write it, edit it, and upload it. They are getting away with it for now, but this document (in one form of another) has been circulating for many months, so they will not get away with it forever. Their real names and other details are not hard to find out: some basic Googling or some asking around will do. They have already shared quite a lot about themselves over the years. Some of them use their Twitter account for both personal and professional reasons. If you want to give me a hand, now you know where to start.
