When it happened in 2020, the death of three-year-old Nong Chompoo was one of Thailand’s most tumultuous criminal cases. However, the Criminal Court’s trial, which began a few months ago and has been almost half way through now, has gone eerily quiet, showcasing only social media rivalry between supporters and opponents of the suspects whereas the mainstream media have practically stayed out of the way.

 

From Day One, the case has been fascinating in a few aspects. It shows how the social media can influence or even manipulate public opinions, rightly or wrongly. It tests the conventional justice system’s ability to cope with unconventional and forceful presentation of information that may contain both new facts and fresh lies. It opens up a whole new world where criminal suspects and their backers can operate YouTube channels to proclaim they are “innocent”, and where their critics, detractors and blatant haters do the same to tell the world they are not. It asks a tough moral and legal question concerning donations solicited by the suspects or initiated and handed out willingly to them by generous “sympathizers”.

 

The danger of all of the above is amplified by the near-silence of the mainstream media since the key suspects decided to shut out journalists. One-sided information has been clashing badly with nobody caring to balance it out. Loong Phol’s admirers would only watch YouTube channels that speak exclusively highly of him, whereas the other side slams every content to pieces and presents its own information as the one and only truth. Charges of witnesses being intimidated or bought off have abounded.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/loong-phol-case-puts-justice-system-to-big-test/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-10-14

 

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10 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

From Day One, the case has been fascinating in a few aspects.

A social media circus.

A poor little girl is dead and her family may never get over it.

Very sad. ☹️

Yes it’s gone very silent but I thought he’d been convicted and jailed, am I wrong?

 

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

When it happened in 2020, the death of three-year-old Nong Chompoo was one of Thailand’s most tumultuous criminal cases. However, the Criminal Court’s trial, which began a few months ago

The main reason social media is a frenzy is because the whole thing takes too long. 2 whole years to get started ? Thing could have been completely done and dusted by now.

10 hours ago, Changoverandout said:

Yes it’s gone very silent but I thought he’d been convicted and jailed, am I wrong?

No, just overly optimistic.

YouTube and other "social media" should be irrelevant to the judicial process.

 

The case should be decided on evidence, facts presented to the court.

 

Then I read to the end - money, big donations, witness intimidation and buying off. It's not a new test of the judicial system, rather the same old problem, a test that is regularly failed. Such corruption should of course be investigated and prosecuted, but those whose jobs are to investigate are amongst the most corrupt of all.