Restrictions on press freedom to stay: Prawit

[webfact]

Restrictions on press freedom to stay: Prawit
The Nation

Call for clauses in previous charters to be included in new constitution

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who also serves as Defence Minister, yesterday ruled out the annulment of Orders No 97 and 103 that restrict media freedom, reasoning that these regulations will be relaxed when officials see fit.

Media groups have been campaigning for the removal of the two orders in response to the authorities' move against Thai PBS television station, which they described as a severe threat to media freedom.

Thai PBS on Friday announced that it was replacing Nattaya Wawweerakup, host of the "People's Voices that Need to be Heard before the Reform" programme. This move came after the TV channel was pressured by a group of military officers who claimed to be working at the behest of their "bosses" at the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

Prawit said the government did not want to be told what to do, as a committee in charge of overseeing the media was monitoring the situation and would act accordingly. He added that the prime minister also knew when and what measures should be used in terms of media freedom.

The minister also rejected calls from political parties to lift martial law or at least ease regulations that ban political gatherings of five or more people so they can call party meetings in order to be able to offer ideas to the National Reform Council (NRC).

Prawit pointed out that the NCPO had given everybody a chance to take part in the reform process by calling on them to join the NRC, but nobody paid any attention, he said.

Asked if the NCPO might allow political parties to hold meetings, Prawit said if party leaders had the potential to contribute ideas, then it would not be necessary for them to call a meeting of 200 to 300 party members.

Meanwhile, Thepchai Yong, also chief of the media sector's working group for national reform, has called on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha to publicly explain his standpoints on media freedom to his subordinates.

He added that media rights should not be restricted and said he hoped there would be no repeat of what happened with Thai PBS.

"We don't know if the military officials' claim that they were acting on an order from their superiors was true," he said. "We would like the PM to communicate with the public to signal to his subordinates that media rights and freedom should not be blocked.''

At a meeting yesterday, the media group for Thailand's reform also decided to insist that measures protecting freedom of expression and press freedom are guaranteed in the new charter.

Thepchai said the group wanted content in relation to press freedom and freedom of expression in the new constitution to be the same as that stipulated in the 1997 and 2007 charters.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Restrictions-on-press-freedom-to-stay-Prawit-30247993.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-18

[chooka]

Restrictions to be relaxed when they see fit. Well pretty much sums it up. Thai's are going to have more chance of baptising a cat than getting these restrictions lifted.

[NongKhaiKid]

The BP website is reporting there's to be a big, must attend meeting on Thursday to discuss media limits.

Probably too much loss of face for powerful people to acknowledge this is being handled badly so expect heels to be firmly dug in.

The junta is fast becoming a PR nightmare as this sort of heavy handed attitude will echo around the world no matter how much ' understanding ' the PM and his boys claim exists.

[The stuttering parrot]

The tightening of the grip is being rampart up and freedom of expression an opinion is being squashed which is being watched by the outside world.

The economy is going downhill yet they call for investment in Thailand while they put in place draconian laws which will only turn countries away from putting any money into Thailand.

Tourism is down and people now are looking at other options so they are losing the tourist dollar as well.

Your right kid it's a PR nightmare and so it should be!

[selftaopath]

The tightening of the grip is being rampart up and freedom of expression an opinion is being squashed which is being watched by the outside world.

The economy is going downhill yet they call for investment in Thailand while they put in place draconian laws which will only turn countries away from putting any money into Thailand.

Tourism is down and people now are looking at other options so they are losing the tourist dollar as well.

Your right kid it's a PR nightmare and so it should be!

My mind flashed on places like North Korea and Russia. Humnnnn oh and "the Mother Land" CHINA.

Boy I'd really like to see a "family tree" of the individuals running/owning Thailand.

[Mango Bob]

So the PM is the boss he makes up the rules and you must live by them. No if's and's or but's about it. You have no say in what rules are made up you just have to follow them. You can not vote you can not criticize, you just shut up and follow my rules. Is this a democracy or a dictatorship.

[NongKhaiKid]

The BP website is quoting the PM saying it's ' unacceptable ' for the media to criticise him or the government.

What an attitude, in true dictatorial fashion placing himself above everything and this is a govt that's seeking public opinion on a whole raft of issues and it would be usual for the media to play a major part, but now ?

[city]

The tightening of the grip is being rampart up and freedom of expression an opinion is being squashed which is being watched by the outside world.

The economy is going downhill yet they call for investment in Thailand while they put in place draconian laws which will only turn countries away from putting any money into Thailand.

Tourism is down and people now are looking at other options so they are losing the tourist dollar as well.

Your right kid it's a PR nightmare and so it should be!

My mind flashed on places like North Korea and Russia. Humnnnn oh and "the Mother Land" CHINA.

Boy I'd really like to see a "family tree" of the individuals running/owning Thailand.

if you want to see which families have got their hand up the generals shirt, buy the book of 'Whos Who in Thailand' I read it cost US$1400 so beyond the reach of most. I did see a pdf from a Japanese student (online) that went into less depth but none the less very revealing 'how they keep it in the family'

[baboon]

So the PM is the boss he makes up the rules and you must live by them. No if's and's or but's about it. You have no say in what rules are made up you just have to follow them. You can not vote you can not criticize, you just shut up and follow my rules. Is this a democracy or a dictatorship.

Of course you have a say: You are perfectly free to say 'Yes Sir,' 'Good idea,' 'More of the same, please.' Constructive criticism is also welcome: 'You are not cracking down hard enough,' 'More draconian measures are needed,' 'You need to stay in power longer...'

[Fat Haggis]

Got a link for that PDF ?

The PM still thinks he's in the Army and cannot see that he's every bit as autocratic as he ever was.

These reforms are a joke really, 8 months of protests crying out for reforms and even the die hard dems must be wondering what the F!! And 8 months of protests and 6 months of the Junta and not a single hard fast plan for reforming what needs to be reformed. What an awesome plan really. It's spin, and it's getting played out and dragged out for reasons nobody's allowed to talk about.

Givwn the reasons for the coup such as total mismanagement by Yinglucks mob you would have thought that there reforms would have been drafted as matters of urgency but no, they are creating committees and sub committed and sub groups for the groups and so far over 600 personally chosen people are getting paid, handsomely too no doubt ( what budget will this come from by the way?)

And still the true refoation hasn't kicked off in earnest but keeping the population under control seems to be more of a priority than actually reforming the country.

Corruptuon hasn't been tackled oh and I see that the mega expensive microphone issue died a death but they still have them in place ?

Yes corruption is rife and all these mega money projects with the Chimese etc has anyone looked at the contractors who will be proffing from these projects and have a look at the Boards of all these companies?

Cronyism and Nepotism are both still very much alive in today's climes ?

[chooka]

The tightening of the grip is being rampart up and freedom of expression an opinion is being squashed which is being watched by the outside world.

The economy is going downhill yet they call for investment in Thailand while they put in place draconian laws which will only turn countries away from putting any money into Thailand.

Tourism is down and people now are looking at other options so they are losing the tourist dollar as well.

Your right kid it's a PR nightmare and so it should be!

My mind flashed on places like North Korea and Russia. Humnnnn oh and "the Mother Land" CHINA.

Boy I'd really like to see a "family tree" of the individuals running/owning Thailand.

will probably find they are Chinese, but Thailand was never colonised after the Chinese moved in.

[aussieinthailand]

The BP website is quoting the PM saying it's ' unacceptable ' for the media to criticise him or the government.

What an attitude, in true dictatorial fashion placing himself above everything and this is a govt that's seeking public opinion on a whole raft of issues and it would be usual for the media to play a major part, but now ?

Spot on NK.

Is it possible some in power have an "attitude" "and need an adjustment to their thinking"????

And so many supported this, I said it before, "Be careful what you wish for , you just might get it".................. Som nar nar.

[oneday]

It certainly seems as if even the highest officials in this country still have no idea what democracy is and I am wondering if they ever will learn.

Thailand is wanting to have more and more say and be more involved in the UN. It's never going to happen if they keep this up.

[yellowboat]

"when officials see fit."

Hope by now the citizens of Thailand see the folly in coups and juntas. There must be some regret in welcoming a non-elected prime minister.

Edited November 18, 2014 by yellowboat

[outsider]

The BP website is quoting the PM saying it's ' unacceptable ' for the media to criticise him or the government.

What an attitude, in true dictatorial fashion placing himself above everything and this is a govt that's seeking public opinion on a whole raft of issues and it would be usual for the media to play a major part, but now ?

Thailand... oh Thailand...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The BP website is quoting the PM saying it's ' unacceptable ' for the media to criticise him or the government.

What an attitude, in true dictatorial fashion placing himself above everything and this is a govt that's seeking public opinion on a whole raft of issues and it would be usual for the media to play a major part, but now ?

We can't quote the actual content of the BP post news report here... But I'd say...if you read their actual report, it's not exactly clear just what the general is saying is "unacceptable" -- criticizing the government, or the subject Thai PBS program, or blaming the current government for problems created under the prior government. To my reading, it's really not clear. People should read the article themselves before assuming...

If the reporters writing the article thought the general was simply saying it was unacceptable to criticize the government, I'd think that would have been the lead or main focus on the article. But instead, the unacceptable reference is buried halfway down the article in a brief reference that isn't elaborated on or given any context. The actual article leads with the idea that the general claims the Thai media still has freedom and that he wasn't involved in the removal of the PBS host (take those claims for what they're worth).

[Suffinator]

Look at most military dictatorships and you'll see the last thing they want is for its citizens to openly criticize the regime plus of course allow people to peacefully demonstrate.

There's only one thing the UN should be doing and that's slapping on sanctions - but the UN doesn't have the resolve to engage in such until things really get out of hand ... at what level sanctions are deemed necessary is beyond me but certainly any restrictions on the movement of people through martial law.

Frankly it's a joke but so are the clowns running this failing economy.

[manhood]

No free press, no democracy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who can "control" government, officials, the "big business" , find corruption acts and make them public and and and: only free press!!!!!!!!!

but who want that in Thailand?!??!

[slygeeza]

its a classic sign of being in a weak position, anything could happen in Thailand in the next couple of years and probably will

[slygeeza]

Look at most military dictatorships and you'll see the last thing they want is for its citizens to openly criticize the regime plus of course allow people to peacefully demonstrate.

There's only one thing the UN should be doing and that's slapping on sanctions - but the UN doesn't have the resolve to engage in such until things really get out of hand ... at what level sanctions are deemed necessary is beyond me but certainly any restrictions on the movement of people through martial law.

Frankly it's a joke but so are the clowns running this failing economy.

sanctions would just turn Thailand into another North Korea, facebook will change things much quicker

[Muirton]

There is, of course, the standard problem of a country living under a Fascist dictatorship. But Thailand, of course, has its own version. The dictator is an imbecile, an anosognosiac buffoon. If you want to be feared, shut up like Stalin and Franco did. You don't go on the telly every Friday at 8:15 on all channels as long as you wish and spout rubbish.

If you want to throw Yingluk Shinawat out, do so but don't afterward say you overthrew a democracy to restore democracy. If you want to forbid freedom of speech, do so but don't say you allow freedom of speech -- so long as it doesn't criticize you. The Friday Follies are Monty Python meets John Oliver. From the vocabulary used each Friday, I'm convinced he writes this stuff himself. And loves the sound of his own voice.

And he has done what no "head of state" ever ever does, he has told the public the gist of private conversations with the heads of other nations. I can't think of any pol. anywhere that has ever done that even once, far less routinely. And to make his 'goujaterie'really scandalous, he lies totally about what the other parties to the meetings said.

He apologized one Friday "as a gentleman" [hand over heart] IF, IF, IF his remark about ugly women and bikinis caused offense. The moron doesn't have a clue that no "gentleman" would have said what he said in the first place.

Let's see what Friday brings.

[rickirs]

Curious that the NCPO seems to evade the very transparency it expects in the news media.

The Nation 2014-07-28

The NCPO vowed to take further action against ASTV Weekend (now called News 1) after it issued a reprimand against the newspaper on Saturday, criticizing it for publishing false and distorted information to discredit the Junta.

Both the self-regulatory body and ASTV Weekend requested:

- to identify which parts of the weekly have committed the violations

- to clarify which pieces of information were false

- to inform ASTV in writing and produce clear evidence for false information

- to explain why other media outlets aren’t being accountable for the same story

Here is the resolution:

2014-06-15

Announcement No 65, the National Council for Peace and Order allowed two satellite TV channels to resume normal broadcasting with conditions that “their contents must not create rifts, incite public unrest, and oppose the military junta.”

The Nation 2014-08-27

Eight channels including News 1 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (required to broadcast) promising to cover news impartially and responsibly. Channels will “not air content that threatens national security or creates a political division.”

Where is the NCPO roadmap for media transparency other than “do as I say when I say it”?

[heybruce]

"Prawit said the government did not want to be told what to do, as a committee in charge of overseeing the media was monitoring the situation and would act accordingly. He added that the prime minister also knew when and what measures should be used in terms of media freedom."

"The minister also rejected calls from political parties to lift martial law or at least ease regulations that ban political gatherings of five or more people so they can call party meetings in order to be able to offer ideas to the National Reform Council (NRC)."

"Prawit pointed out that the NCPO had given everybody a chance to take part in the reform process by calling on them to join the NRC, but nobody paid any attention, he said."

"Asked if the NCPO might allow political parties to hold meetings, Prawit said if party leaders had the potential to contribute ideas, then it would not be necessary for them to call a meeting of 200 to 300 party members."

Remember, the government doesn't serve the people, the people serve the government! Two rules the people must obey:

1) The government is always right.

2) In case the government is wrong, refer to rule 1.

Edited November 18, 2014 by heybruce

[Boxclever]

I'm surprised the international community are not expressing concerns. This is a violation of basic human rights!

[RTH10260]

Look at most military dictatorships and you'll see the last thing they want is for its citizens to openly criticize the regime plus of course allow people to peacefully demonstrate.

There's only one thing the UN should be doing and that's slapping on sanctions - but the UN doesn't have the resolve to engage in such until things really get out of hand ... at what level sanctions are deemed necessary is beyond me but certainly any restrictions on the movement of people through martial law.

Frankly it's a joke but so are the clowns running this failing economy.

UN sanctions will be on a diplomatic level. Like ignoring the application of a Thai delegate to a seat in a committee, or reassigning their seat when the term ends. Other hints will be by electing representants from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam over a Thai to represent the region. While governments won't directly interfer in the inner happenings of another state, their long arm aka delegate in the UN assembly will indirectly voice the disgust.

[armadillo215]

Posted Yesterday, 13:52

There is, of course, the standard problem of a country living under a Fascist dictatorship. But Thailand, of course, has its own version. The dictator is an imbecile, an anosognosiac buffoon. If you want to be feared, shut up like Stalin and Franco did. You don't go on the telly every Friday at 8:15 on all channels as long as you wish and spout rubbish.

If you want to throw Yingluk Shinawat out, do so but don't afterward say you overthrew a democracy to restore democracy. If you want to forbid freedom of speech, do so but don't say you allow freedom of speech -- so long as it doesn't criticize you. The Friday Follies are Monty Python meets John Oliver. From the vocabulary used each Friday, I'm convinced he writes this stuff himself. And loves the sound of his own voice.

And he has done what no "head of state" ever ever does, he has told the public the gist of private conversations with the heads of other nations. I can't think of any pol. anywhere that has ever done that even once, far less routinely. And to make his 'goujaterie'really scandalous, he lies totally about what the other parties to the meetings said.

He apologized one Friday "as a gentleman" [hand over heart] IF, IF, IF his remark about ugly women and bikinis caused offense. The moron doesn't have a clue that no "gentleman" would have said what he said in the first place.

Let's see what Friday brings.

A really true breath of fresh air buddy.... Thanks