GungaDin Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 THAILAND: 2008 'a nightmare' for Thai journalists The Thai Journalists Association recounts the 10 most serious media intimidation cases from 2008 Bangkok Post Tuesday, January 6, 2009 The Thai Journalists Association (TJA) says the year 2008 was the most challenging year for mass media professionals as they faced various forms of intimidation from different interest groups. In its 2008 media situation report made public yesterday, the TJA panel on rights, liberties and media reform dug into the 10 most serious media intimidation cases that occurred last year. They are: 1) The murder of two Matichon reporters. Athiwat Chainuwat, a Nakhon Si Thammarat-based reporter who was gunned down on Aug 1, while Jaruk Rangcharoen, another Matichon reporter based in Suphan Buri province, was shot dead on Sept 27. 2) Unkind words against political reporters from Samak Sundaravej were a daily dose for those hounding him for news when he was the prime minister and leader of the dissolved People Power Party (PPP). For most newsmen covering political issues, Mr Samak was viewed as a prime minister who did not recognise the value and integrity of media professionals in a democratic way. 3) A call from Mr Samak urging journalists to side with the then PPP-led government after anti-government protesters, led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), on Aug 26 laid siege to the state-run NBT television station and later stormed and occupied the Government House. The call prompted the four media organisations to issue a joint statement urging media professionals to report their news in a straightforward manner without showing any prejudice. 4) Intimidation and physical assaults against journalists covering protest rallies of rival political groups. 5) Renaming of the state-owned Channel 11 to NBT by the Samak government in a bid to make the station look more independent, but in fact serving as a propaganda tool for the government. 6) Street protesters' browbeating of television stations on various occasions. Threats to the NBT, a station that was briefly seized by PAD, the surrounding of the TPBS by the pro-PPP Rak Chiang Mai 51 group, and the ASTV station that was attacked by war weapons. 7) Lawsuits demanding 100 million baht compensation from two columnists of Krungthepturakij newspaper filed by Ek-Chai Distribution System, operator of Tesco Lotus in Thailand. The two columnists facing the 100-million-baht lawsuits are Kamol Kamoltrakul and Nongnart Harnvilai, the newspaper's marketing news editor. 8) Thai Rath newspaper's tragic loss of six staff members in Narathiwat. Chalee Bunsawat, a Narathiwat-based reporter for the newspaper was killed in an insurgent bomb attack. Then, a van carrying 10 members of its newspaper's deep South bureau and heading for Chalee's funeral in Sungai Kolok district crashed and caught fire, killing five of them at the crash scene and seriously injuring five others. 9) Removals of several broadcast programmes. Such removals have become a common practice by political groups taking control of state-owned TV and radio stations. Programmes with content critical of the previous governments were replaced again and again. 10) The banning of the TJA shirts by Government House media officers. Journalists entering the compound were requested not to wear shirts bearing the message "Intimidating Media, Intimidating the People" distributed by the TJA on World Press Freedom day on May 3. Date Posted: 1/6/2009 Related Stories THAILAND: Journalist group to watch for intimidation THAILAND: Journalists flush out Samak THAILAND: Journalists killed on way to cremation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sriracha john Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 THAILAND: 2008 'a nightmare' for Thai journalistsThe Thai Journalists Association (TJA) says the year 2008 was the most challenging year for mass media professionals as they faced various forms of intimidation from different interest groups. 2008 they say? Hmmm... other than than 27 days in January... Parliament elect Samak as new prime ministerPeople Power Party's leader Samak Sundaravej is elected as the 25th prime minister of Thailand on Monday. and 16 days in December... Abhsit becomes new PMBANGKOK: -- Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, aged 44, has become the 27th and youngest prime minister of Thailand after receiving 235 votes from 431 MPs at the extraordinary parliamentary session on Monday. 2008 was the People Power Party government's year... Congratulations PPP!.... Well Done! The Most Intimidating Year Ever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonthai Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 this statement is not more than a political bickering, rather than a statement from what suppose to be an independent professional organisation. somehow I can't see anywhere here the biggest problem of the thai journalism - censorship of information and opinion. it's rather difficult to compare killings of journalists (one can assume that arrests, inprisonment, beatings and other physical intimidation, blackmailing are all in place) with " Unkind words against political reporters", "Renaming of the state-owned Channel 11 to NBT" or "A call from Mr Samak urging journalists to side with the then PPP-led government after anti-government protesters ... laid siege to the state-run NBT television station". This last "serious media intimidation" should be rather be placed on this list as a threatening to the journalists and their work from a sponsored mob, lieing siege to the television station - certaily it was a violent affair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve2UK Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 THAILAND: 2008 'a nightmare' for Thai journalistsThe Thai Journalists Association (TJA) says the year 2008 was the most challenging year for mass media professionals as they faced various forms of intimidation from different interest groups. 2008 they say? Hmmm... other than than 27 days in January... Parliament elect Samak as new prime ministerPeople Power Party's leader Samak Sundaravej is elected as the 25th prime minister of Thailand on Monday. and 16 days in December... Abhsit becomes new PMBANGKOK: -- Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, aged 44, has become the 27th and youngest prime minister of Thailand after receiving 235 votes from 431 MPs at the extraordinary parliamentary session on Monday. 2008 was the People Power Party government's year... Congratulations PPP!.... Well Done! The Most Intimidating Year Ever... And congratulations to you, SJ - not. 3 out of the 10 listed relate to just Samak and his government - maybe you'd like to revise your calendar arithmetic? The rest? Both sides blamed, insurgent violence, anonymous murders, a Tesco Lotus lawsuit etc. Still, don't let the facts get in the way of your propaganda - or will you now have us believe that PPP are/were the hidden hands behind Tesco Lotus, the southern insurgency and the murders? Sure, why not? It's all possible in your strange world............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruceboy Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Probably not going to get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinnieTheKhwai Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 an independent professional organisation. Thanks for that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 One can only have respect for anyone who takes up journalism as a career here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sriracha john Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 THAILAND: 2008 'a nightmare' for Thai journalistsThe Thai Journalists Association (TJA) says the year 2008 was the most challenging year for mass media professionals as they faced various forms of intimidation from different interest groups. 2008 they say? Hmmm... other than than 27 days in January... Parliament elect Samak as new prime ministerPeople Power Party's leader Samak Sundaravej is elected as the 25th prime minister of Thailand on Monday. and 16 days in December... Abhsit becomes new PMBANGKOK: -- Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, aged 44, has become the 27th and youngest prime minister of Thailand after receiving 235 votes from 431 MPs at the extraordinary parliamentary session on Monday. 2008 was the People Power Party government's year... Congratulations PPP!.... Well Done! The Most Intimidating Year Ever... And congratulations to you, SJ - not. 3 out of the 10 listed relate to just Samak and his government - maybe you'd like to revise your calendar arithmetic? The rest? Both sides blamed, insurgent violence, anonymous murders, a Tesco Lotus lawsuit etc. Still, don't let the facts get in the way of your propaganda - or will you now have us believe that PPP are/were the hidden hands behind Tesco Lotus, the southern insurgency and the murders? Sure, why not? It's all possible in your strange world............ What were saying about arithmetic: 1: PPP 2: PPP 3: PPP 4: PPP included 5: PPP 6: PPP included 7: PPP 8: PPP 9: PPP 10: PPP Indeed it is YOUR world that is strange to gloss over the reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve2UK Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 THAILAND: 2008 'a nightmare' for Thai journalistsThe Thai Journalists Association (TJA) says the year 2008 was the most challenging year for mass media professionals as they faced various forms of intimidation from different interest groups. 2008 they say? Hmmm... other than than 27 days in January... Parliament elect Samak as new prime ministerPeople Power Party's leader Samak Sundaravej is elected as the 25th prime minister of Thailand on Monday. and 16 days in December... Abhsit becomes new PMBANGKOK: -- Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, aged 44, has become the 27th and youngest prime minister of Thailand after receiving 235 votes from 431 MPs at the extraordinary parliamentary session on Monday. 2008 was the People Power Party government's year... Congratulations PPP!.... Well Done! The Most Intimidating Year Ever... And congratulations to you, SJ - not. 3 out of the 10 listed relate to just Samak and his government - maybe you'd like to revise your calendar arithmetic? The rest? Both sides blamed, insurgent violence, anonymous murders, a Tesco Lotus lawsuit etc. Still, don't let the facts get in the way of your propaganda - or will you now have us believe that PPP are/were the hidden hands behind Tesco Lotus, the southern insurgency and the murders? Sure, why not? It's all possible in your strange world............ What were saying about arithmetic: 1: PPP 2: PPP 3: PPP 4: PPP included 5: PPP 6: PPP included 7: PPP 8: PPP 9: PPP 10: PPP Indeed it is YOUR world that is strange to gloss over the reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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