Thaksin Shinawatra trying to muzzle press freedom
It appears Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra can not tolerate any criticism of his government or any of his cronies, particularly when it comes to the showpiece airport, Suvaranabhumi. A number of corruption charges, including against his sister, have been made in the Thai press recently.Media groups decry legal blitz on 'Post'
Govt's damages claim 'harassment of media'
International and regional media advocates and leading local English-language dailies have decried the government's decision to sue the Bangkok Post over the airport runway crack report, calling it harassment and intimidation of press freedom.The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (Seapa) denounced the government for bringing a criminal libel lawsuit despite the Post's offer of amends in its publication of a front-page apology and retraction of the story.
In an Aug 16 statement on its website, Seapa said the government's suits and threats go beyond seeking to rectify the mistake. ''It is clear that the government's course of action is to harass the press.''This heavy-handed tactic will have a chilling effect on press freedom in Thailand,'' the alliance said. ''The course that the government has seized on, to send a threatening message to the Post and the rest of the Thai media, may signal the government's growing discomfort with the amount of questions and scrutiny this project [the Suvarnabhumi airport construction] is drawing,'' Seapa added.
The government says the report caused damage to the country's reputation and it plans to seek one billion baht in compensation in a separate civil suit.It is also seeking global clarifications on international media networks with the bill to be footed by the Bangkok Post.Seapa praised the Bangkok Post for displaying responsibility and professionalism in recanting its story and admitting to its mistake. ''This shows the value and power of self-regulation in a free press environment, and demonstrates how crude and obsolete criminal lawsuits are as a recourse for disciplining the media,'' said Seapa executive director Roby Alampay.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also condemned the libel charges filed by the Airports of Thailand and New Bangkok International Airport against the Post. ''Using criminal charges to retaliate against the press is deeply disturbing and wholly inappropriate, particularly when it is done by state-owned companies. This case reflects the alarming recent trend in Thailand toward the use of disproportionate legal action against journalists,'' CPJ executive director Ann Cooper said. CPJ is an independent, non-profit organisation which attempts to safeguard press freedom worldwide.The organisation added that prosecuting journalists would only backfire and do more harm than good to the country's name.
On the home front, The Nation questioned the merit of the government filing suit. ''The staggering legal offensive by the Thaksin government is bad news for the entire media community,'' wrote its editor Tulsathit Taptim on the opinion page in an article entitled ''Libel Suits Being Used to Intimidate''.He went on to ask: ''Should false alarms keep ringing, or does everyone prefer the silence unless the real fire breaks out?''
Thai Day newspaper, meanwhile, said in its commentary ''No Cracks Does Not Mean There Is No Corruption'' on Wednesday that the press was only doing its job as a watchdog.The writer of the commentary, Xiang Xao Long, a pseudonym, said he took the side of the press ''not because I want to ruin Thaksin's reputation or that of his government, but because I'm opposed to corruption, particularly in mega-projects like Suvarnabhumi airport.''
posted by Dinesh C Sharma @ 11:15 AM
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