Chalerm rejects motion moved by opposition over press intimidation

By Nerisa Nerykhiew

The Nation

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung rebutted a motion against intimidation of the press during the House meeting yesterday.

"I searched the dictionary and found nowhere an inference that 'Please remember her face. If you see her anywhere, give her what she deserves' is intimidation," Chalerm said.

It was the reporter, who was the target of the message, who failed to do her job professionally as she asked the prime minister questions as if she were the opposition leader, said Chalerm on behalf of PM Yingluck Shinawatra.

Although Yingluck was supposed to respond to queries from the floor, House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont cited precedents to argue that she could designate a Cabinet member to take up questions from MPs.

Bhum Jai Thai MP Supachai Jaisamut, who filed the motion, had said he suspected the government had condoned the menacing chain e-mail from the red shirts to the Channel 7 reporter.

Chalerm said the government was not involved and that the alleged source of the e-mail was already scheduled to report to police by next week.

"This government will definitely not interfere with the press," he claimed.

Last week, some members of the media received a forwarded message showing a picture and giving the name of the Channel 7 reporter. The note read: "Please remember her face. If you see her anywhere, give her what she deserves."

The reporter had last week asked Yingluck what she would do for the people besides doing favours for former premier Thaksin, her brother. Yingluck was reportedly upset by the question and walked away from reporters. The reporter told police complaint that she had received several threatening phone calls after this message came out.

Chalerm said during the House meeting that the reporter should give him the phone numbers of the callers as he could check who they were within two hours.

Supachai also asked if the government had a clear plan to solve the conflicts and violence in society as well as to realise reconciliation. He referred to the reported red-shirt attack on two students protesting outside Parliament against the House Speaker during the policy debate.

Yingluck last week assigned Chalerm to look into the case.

After a war of words broke out between Chalerm and opposition MPs over the e-mail episode, Deputy House Speaker Charoen Chankomol said the House Speaker had assigned Deputy House Speaker Visuth Chaina-roon to look into the investigation.

-- The Nation 2011-09-02

Wonderful inaction from the master of deceit and the upholder of justice, Can he not or does he not want to recall the time when Denmark took pity on him ( Chalerm)when he was targeted ?

Can he not recall when he (Chalerm) was so sym(pathetic) regarding a son who went walkabout ?

I presume that Chalerm induced amnesia will be setting in shortly regarding democracy here.

To think that but for a matter of timing Chalerm would have been but a brief period of time in his mothers life and Thailand would have been spared him as his offspring.

Edited September 1, 201114 yr by siampolee

"I searched the dictionary and found nowhere an inference that 'Please remember her face. If you see her anywhere, give her what she deserves' is intimidation," Chalerm said.

He's right about that,it should be considered assault instead of intimidation.

As a reasonable person I'm quite willing to give the current democratically elected government a chance but with people like Chalerm spouting off it's quite difficult.

Although with the Dems having had Suthep as a deputy PM I've come to the inescapable conclusion that to fulfill that position in any party the one overriding quality you must possess is to be a complete and utter immoral ####.

In Chalerm's dictionary, threatening emails are not intimidation, and shooting someone in the head is not murder. It's all a matter of relativity - as in who you are related to.

In Chalerm's dictionary, threatening emails are not intimidation, and shooting someone in the head is not murder. It's all a matter of relativity - as in who you are related to.

It was also a matter of lighting as I recall in his son's case. And witnesses who saw 'nofink your honour'.

And a mystery trip to Malaysia

Quality - just quality.

Justifying and laying the ground, In other words telling the press and Media, LAY OFF us or you know what we can go with our Red thug brethren

In Chalerm's dictionary, threatening emails are not intimidation, and shooting someone in the head is not murder. It's all a matter of relativity - as in who you are related to.

Spot on.

Justifying and laying the ground, In other words telling the press and Media, LAY OFF us or you know what we can go with our Red thug brethren

A modern day, Asian version of the SS...

In Chalerm's dictionary, threatening emails are not intimidation, and shooting someone in the head is not murder. It's all a matter of relativity - as in who you are related to.

"I searched the dictionary and found nowhere an inference that 'Please remember her face. If you see her anywhere, give her what she deserves' is intimidation," Chalerm said.

I think someone should tell Chalerm that a dictionary shows the meaning of individual words, phrases and idioms - Not sentences or groups of sentences - Idiot.

But really using Chalerms logic, we can now say whatever we want - for example - he has a face like a baboons arse, breath like a horse wee soaked genitalia and the complextion of a heroin addict. I searched the dictionary and that is not listed as insulting.

Edited September 2, 201114 yr by jonclark

Chalerm is an embarrassment to Thailand.

Edited September 2, 201114 yr by kraplung

Chalerm is an embarrassment to Thailand.

Not only him unfortunately... !

Where are the defenders of the faith, marching shoulder to shoulder in lock step defending the party of democracy

Chalerm is an embarrassment to Thailand.

Chalerm is an embarrassment to anything above primitive pond life.

Where are the defenders of the faith, marching shoulder to shoulder in lock step defending the party of democracy

I know...it's boring here without them.

They've all been paid up and are on the beach

In Chalerm's dictionary, threatening emails are not intimidation, and shooting someone in the head is not murder. It's all a matter of relativity - as in who you are related to.

It was also a matter of lighting as I recall in his son's case. And witnesses who saw 'nofink your honour'.

And a mystery trip to Malaysia

Quality - just quality.

"And a mystery trip to Malaysia", without getting his passport stamped and at one stage he made a statement, which was published, to the effect 'I will not return until I am shown more respect'.

We have people like this in high positions and with quite some power, it would be funny it is wasn't so serious.

Chalerm is an odious character but a clever one too. He is currently reprising his old role in the police for the new government.

This one is a gem though:

"This government will definitely not interfere with the press," he claimed.

Clearly hitting at all the interference the last regime got up to. Hopefully there is also some truth in it.

That the media did little to nothing to stand up for the rights of their red media colleagues whne they were seeing their publications banned and radio stations shut down - sometimes maybe with reason and sometimes obviously without - is going to haunt them though if any campaign is aimed against them in a serious and organized way, which to date hasnt happened. Thailand's media has to learn that you protect right to publish within the law etc whether you agree with what is said or not. It is very similar to the lesson the Dems have to learn that if you want to play in a democracy however bad things get you oppose coups without any reservation.

If media groups across the spectrum and poltical parties could find common cause on defending media rights and democracy respectively a lot of the hatred and division would be lessened. Especially as it would leave frameworks to air differences and settle them too

Chalerm is an odious character but a clever one too. He is currently reprising his old role in the police for the new government.

This one is a gem though:

"This government will definitely not interfere with the press," he claimed.

Clearly hitting at all the interference the last regime got up to. Hopefully there is also some truth in it.

That the media did little to nothing to stand up for the rights of their red media colleagues whne they were seeing their publications banned and radio stations shut down - sometimes maybe with reason and sometimes obviously without - is going to haunt them though if any campaign is aimed against them in a serious and organized way, which to date hasnt happened. Thailand's media has to learn that you protect right to publish within the law etc whether you agree with what is said or not. It is very similar to the lesson the Dems have to learn that if you want to play in a democracy however bad things get you oppose coups without any reservation.

If media groups across the spectrum and poltical parties could find common cause on defending media rights and democracy respectively a lot of the hatred and division would be lessened. Especially as it would leave frameworks to air differences and settle them too

Didn't the last Shinawatra regime try to buy the press?

...

"This government will definitely not interfere with the press," he claimed.

Clearly hitting at all the interference the last regime got up to. Hopefully there is also some truth in it.

...

The government won't interfere with the press. They will just get their lap dogs to do it.

And then they will make sure no one interferes with those interfering with the press.

Chalerm is an odious character but a clever one too. He is currently reprising his old role in the police for the new government.

This one is a gem though:

"This government will definitely not interfere with the press," he claimed.

Clearly hitting at all the interference the last regime got up to. Hopefully there is also some truth in it.

That the media did little to nothing to stand up for the rights of their red media colleagues whne they were seeing their publications banned and radio stations shut down - sometimes maybe with reason and sometimes obviously without - is going to haunt them though if any campaign is aimed against them in a serious and organized way, which to date hasnt happened. Thailand's media has to learn that you protect right to publish within the law etc whether you agree with what is said or not. It is very similar to the lesson the Dems have to learn that if you want to play in a democracy however bad things get you oppose coups without any reservation.

If media groups across the spectrum and poltical parties could find common cause on defending media rights and democracy respectively a lot of the hatred and division would be lessened. Especially as it would leave frameworks to air differences and settle them too

Didn't the last Shinawatra regime try to buy the press?

He's too tightfisted for that. He just sued them into a smoking hole in the ground until they started self-censoring.

Recommend reading Bangkok Pundit analyse on the story.

Well worth a read and lots more information than the Nation Article.

http://asiancorrespo...t=Google+Reader

That the media did little to nothing to stand up for the rights of their red media colleagues whne they were seeing their publications banned and radio stations shut down - sometimes maybe with reason and sometimes obviously without /../

Shutting down unlicensed radio-stations that interfere on other operators bandwidth isn't the right thing to do?

What publications or media outlets was shutdown with 'obviously without' any good reason.

A post making a personal attack on a member and replies have been removed.