Thai Media Wary Of New Laws To Protect It

[webfact]

Media wary of new laws to protect it

Kanittha Thepchorn

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Media representatives brainstorming new media laws drafted to protect press rights and freedoms, were concerned yesterday the same laws could be a double-edged sword to hurt, rather than protect them.

Prasong Lertrattanawisut, executive director of Issara Institute said the laws aimed to prevent intervention by authorities and business investors in media freedom.

The laws authorised a committee to protect press freedom, but also to punish media which violated codes of conduct, he said.

Patthara Khampitak, head of a sub-committee on ethic and press freedoms of the National Press Council of Thailand, said media representatives needed to thoroughly discuss the consequences of the laws since they

could be regulators and controllers of media behaviour.

They could be enforced and used against the media in negative and positive ways, he said.

"All media organisations should participate in the process to formulate the laws from the beginning, since we don't know what will happen when they are introduced in Parliament and voted into force," he said.

Lawyer Jesda Anucharee said the laws should provide more protection for media. Media organisations which believed their rights had been violated should be able to bring the committee's findings before the court so its judgements could be enforced.

Without power to punish those who violated media rights, the laws would not be effective, he said.

Article 38 of the drafted laws was problematic since it said the committee should have a budget of Bt15 million. The budget likely strengthened the committee, rather than media professional organisations. The laws should allocate some budget to these groups, he said.

Jesda did not clarify what he meant by the term organisation of media professionals during the discussion.

Manop Tokanka, representative of a telephone and satellite television association, said workers in cable TV and television on the Internet should be allowed to take part in the drawing up of media laws and have their representatives on the committee - which the law called for.

Jakkrit Permpoon, president of the National Press Council of Thailand, said he supported more open discussion on the draft laws to make them more comprehensive and to allow more media participation.

-- The Nation 2012-03-14

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Scary words - I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.

[annabel]

Scary words - I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.

Yup and here are the wonderful TV members who will rant & race for 20 pages onwards ONCE IT AFFECTS THEM ... so typical of TV members ...