Puea Thai Party Mp's Aide Jailed For Assaulting Reporter

[sriracha john]

MP's aide jailed for assaulting reporter

LAMPANG : An aide of a Puea Thai Party MP has been sentenced to two months in jail for assaulting Bangkok Post and Post Today reporter Somsak Suksai after a village meeting in late June.

The Lampang Municipal Court last Thursday found Banjerd Dawi guilty of attacking the reporter and ordered him to serve his sentence without any of it being suspended, saying his action "harmed the body and mind".

Banjerd, who was unhappy with Mr Somsak's questions during the meeting, rushed at him after the meeting and punched and threw him to the ground.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/2186...ulting-reporter

-- Bangkok Post 2009-08-12

[sriracha john]

Hopefully this will start a trend where reporters feel safer to ask probing questions of politicians who are spending taxpayers' money.

[scorecard]

Hopefully this will start a trend where reporters feel safer to ask probing questions of politicians who are spending taxpayers' money.

Well said, one of the current problems is that nobody is game enough to investigate things, and often for good reasons.

One of the responsibilities of newspapers (part of their ability to gain and keep a newspaper licence should be investigative fair journalism. Also connects to one of the teanants of democracy, the right to freedom of speech.

[phupaman]

Hi All.

Only 2 months? Very lenient,,, Should have been at least 2 years to send out the right message.

phupaman.

[RKASA]

"part of their ability to gain and keep a newspaper license should be investigative fair journalism"

Who's going to judge their work  (Thaksin, Sondhi some committee of Monks) ?

If its a free press why would they even need that license but for the control freaks to abuse it.  Let the reader decide not the politicians. 

No reporter should ever be attacked just for asking Questions, even if its done in poor taste which can often happen. (Not saying it happened in this case, just that it often does happen)   

If any politician can't take the heat, they can always get out of the kitchen.

[otherstuff1957]

I would assume that an aide to an MP is someone who has political aspirations himself. If so, this is a stiff sentence indeed! People who actually serve jail time in Thailand (as opposed to being convicted and released indefinitely on bail) cannot serve in an elected position!

This, of course, is the reason why Thaksin will not return to Thailand until he can make a deal with the courts or start a civil war. If he actually spent any time in jail, he would be politically neutered.

[animatic]

2 months in a box with the loso 'little people',

and the loss of FACE being more than 2 years long is stiff in Thai terms.

This says volumes that the PTP MP's assistants are feeling free to physically attack dissenting questioners,

or just TOUGH questioners. This goes many kilos to explain why Red Shirt violence is deemed acceptable

as a way of preventing dissenting voices from being heard. Control the information, control the populace, right?

The questions must be asked :

What has TRT, PPP, PTP, Caravan of the Poor, UDD, DAAD and Rak Chaingmai 51, have to FEAR of other voices being heard?

What is it they are scared of, if others have free speech in their regions?

[Briggsy]

I would assume that an aide to an MP is someone who has political aspirations himself. If so, this is a stiff sentence indeed! People who actually serve jail time in Thailand (as opposed to being convicted and released indefinitely on bail) cannot serve in an elected position!

This, of course, is the reason why Thaksin will not return to Thailand until he can make a deal with the courts or start a civil war. If he actually spent any time in jail, he would be politically neutered.

Not really, most provincial politicians, including MPs, sub-district councillors, provincial councillors etc will include thugs in their entourage. It's simply part and parcel of politics, particularly outside the capital, in Thailand. They are routinely described as aides or drivers. They have no political aspirations, just to be the hired thug in a privileged group getting fat off the public purse.

[Phatcharanan]

Ahhhhhhhhhh ! The land of ' Jai yen.....Jai yen '

[Chunkton]

Hopefully this will start a trend where reporters feel safer to ask probing questions of politicians who are spending taxpayers' money.

Probing questions? Good one.

[animatic]

Hopefully this will start a trend where reporters feel safer to ask probing questions of politicians who are spending taxpayers' money.

Probing questions? Good one.

More likely probing bargirls and the occasional katoey.

Same same it goes on.