Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19
http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/eng.htm

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

This Declaration, to which Thailand is a signatory, clearly says “regardless of frontiers.” Harry’s human rights don’t stop at the Australian border.

Of course, the Australian government should be doing more to help one of their own. But if one looks at Australia’s history and how it treats its modern prisoners, we can’t expect too much…nor can Harry.

This case raises some interesting questions. Reporters Without Borders has reported that Harry Nicolaides has never been charged and thus is being held illegally. If this is not true, we would like to know the date he was charged and under which sections of the law.

Normal practice is simply seizure of all copies, and the “printing plates” (though this is sounding a bit archaic in the digital age) under the Printing Act 2007. The Act was amended so that no charges would be laid on authors or publishers.

However, Harry’s book is more problematic. We’ve been trying to get hold of a copy, PDF scan or even a photocopy of Versimilitude for several months without success, from Harry’s friends, parents, lawyer.

(If any readers can get us a copy, please get in touch. facthaiATgmailDOTcom)

So how did this obscure work reach the attention of Thai authorities? The only theory we’ve heard so far is that someone lodged a copy with the National Library for the protection of Thai copyright. That may be true but no one is reading these submissions with a fine-toothed comb. If this were the case, it so unusual for a book in English to be submitted that it may have excited some librarian who then discovered the offensive passage. (Why Victorians read pornography!)