Junta critics ‘weeded out’, says journalist who quit TV job

By The Nation

 

Vanchai

 

Veteran journalist Vanchai Tantivitayapitak posted on Facebook on Monday that the ruling junta has a “report card” for each and every critic who is influential on social media, and will pay them a visit after a certain limit was reached.

 

The post came after his resignation at the end of March from news station PPTV, where he was a senior news director.

 

Vanchai was reportedly pressured to leave the job because of his frequent criticism of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

 

Under Vanchai’s leadership, PPTV had reportedly been persistent in scrutinising the junta, including over the case involving General Prawit Wongsuwan’s possession of luxury watches.

 

In his Facebook post, Vanchai wrote that security officers kept a record of how many times each person with a large number of followers on social media criticised the junta government. When that limit was reached, that person would be visited by officers, he said.

 

“Some are just visited. Others are visited, pressured, and weeded out,” Vanchai wrote.

 

Prawit, also a key man in the NCPO, denied the report on Tuesday. “Not [true]. This is so full of hot air,” Prawit said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30342360

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-03

1 minute ago, webfact said:

Prawit, also a key man in the NCPO, denied the report on Tuesday. “Not [true]. This is so full of hot air,” Prawit said.

I know which of the two I am more inclined to believe...

This is so full of hot air,” Prawit said.

 

pot...kettle.........

Well, I suppose being full of hot air is not as bad as being full of male cow defecation. 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

“Not [true]. This is so full of hot air,” Prawit said

Yeah well, if you are publicly strong against he US government, I guarantee you will be watched.

Possibly, visited by the Feds.

In Russia, maybe killed.

Really a non story goes on everyplace in the world express your negative opinions about a governement, suffer the consequences.

Edited April 3, 20188 yr by bkk6060

15 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Yeah well, if you are publicly strong against he US government, I guarantee you will be watched.

Possibly, visited by the Feds.

In Russia, maybe killed.

Really a non story goes on everyplace in the world express your negative opinions about a governement, suffer the consequences.

Because it "goes on everyplace" doesn't make this a non-story. Quite the reverse. Only by exposing the increasingly widespread govrnment attempts to stifle criticism, dissent and free speech can we hope to reverse this egregious trend.

 

We should commend Kuhn Vanchai for speaking out on social media, which - as mass media outlets are mostly mouthpieces of the ruling elite - is the proven best way to hit back at the ever-more-frequent attacks on basic human rights.

Edited April 4, 20188 yr by Krataiboy

A cornerstone of a free society is freedom of speech....it appears that this has been taken away and it does seem to make sense as it fits nicely into the pattern displayed by leadership. Hopefully these brave voices continue to speak. Their reputations of accuracy and honesty lends to their credibility. 

Those poor college students from Chula are being harassed.  The press should just stop following the junta.  They cannot be trusted.  What is the point in reporting on them? The only people who take them seriously are those who snouts are close to the trough, but not quite close enough.