A defamation lawsuit filed against Australian journalist Murray Hunter by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been dropped following a mediation session on 16 February.

Thai authorities should drop criminal defamation charges against the Australian journalist Murray Hunter, who is being prosecuted for reporting on Malaysia’s media regulating agency, Human Rights Watch said last Thursday (27 November)

Following the indictment of Australian journalist Murray Hunter, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) issued a statement raising concerns about the indictment and demanded that the charges against him be dropped.

Australian journalist Murray Hunter, previously arrested at a Thai airport on a defamation charge filed against him by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission, said he believes personal vengeance and fear-mongering in Malaysia fuel defamation case against him in Thailand.

The arrest of Murray Hunter in Bangkok over a Malaysian defamation case underscores Southeast Asia’s growing trend of cross-border political crackdowns.