Ask to see the invisible library

Published on November 5, 2007

The "official" spin, from Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand president Risuan Aramcharoen, was "good cooperation" with the Special Branch police this year on the matter of "inappropriate" reading material.

Not all of her members saw it that way. Some found the frequent patrols at the Sirikit Centre a nuisance. It was, said one fuming vendor, strictly a matter of judging a book by its cover.

"They don't read the books or anything," she told Soopsip. "They just look at the title and cover illustration and say, 'Don't display this book' or 'Just hide it somewhere in the booth', and it's really irritating."

At a booth specialising in books for gays and lesbians, the police ordered one title stashed away because the cover picture showed two men lying together in bed. Not naked or anything - just lying there under a blanket.

Some sellers weren't interested in earning degrees in literature and morals at Police University, so they simply closed up shop.