THAILAND: Journalistic freedom still under threat

Thai PBS vice-director for management says government and business groups exert media intimidation

Bangkok Post
Sunday, May 17, 2009

By Pradit Ruangdit

Members of the media have been operating with increased freedom in recent years, but still face complicated forms of harassment and intimidation, a seminar was told.

Media expert Ubonrat Siriyuwasak said the media community had undergone structural changes and enjoyed more freedom since 2006.

Several pieces of legislation have been amended or enacted in the past few years to protect freedom of expression, allowing local news channels to play a more active role while the electronic media proliferates, she said.

Despite relaxed rules and restrictions, Ms Ubonrat noted that the government has maintained a tight grip on broadcasting frequencies.

Ms Ubonrat yesterday also criticised the role of the Press Council of Thailand, saying it needed to do more in its push for a law to better protect the profession and strengthen journalism.

Wasan Paileeklee, vice-director for management at the Thai Public Broadcasting Service, said media intimidation by the state has become more subtle. Closing newspapers, pressing false charges or locking up journalists in jail were a thing of the past, he said.

Currently, the authorities are turning to defamation law to interfere with or intimidate the media by demanding huge sums of money in compensation.

He said the most serious threat against media freedom appears to come from business groups. These people have used advertising budgets as a negotiating instrument.

"Much-needed advertisement revenue can deter the media from criticising or presenting what is right," he told the seminar which was jointly organised by the Thai Journalists Association, the Thai Broadcasting Journalists Association and the Press Council of Thailand.

He said state-owned media outlets, especially the Public Relations Department, are the main targets of political interference.

When there is a change of government, those in charge at the PRD, formerly Channel 11, are the first to be transferred, he said.

Channel 11, currently known as NBT, has undergone restructuring by both the Samak and the Abhisit governments. The station has also seen two logo changes in the course of the revamp.

Phattara Khampitak, news editor of Post Today daily, said the media landscape had changed.

He cited the emergence of the "yellow" and the "red" TV stations, referring to ASTV, which is affiliated with the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and D-station, which is operated by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD). The media could do more to censor itself and maintain neutrality.

Date Posted: 5/17/2009