Media targeted in Thai political transition

[StrontiumDog]

Media targeted in Thai political transition - Committee to Protect Journalists

Media targeted in Thai political transition


PAD protesters take to the streets in Bangkok on Friday on the final day of campaigning for Sunday's election. (AP/David Longstreath)

Bangkok, July 7, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the raid and seizure of broadcasting equipment by police at six community radio stations in Thailand's northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province. The raids were staged two days after caretaker Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government lost to the opposition Peua Thai party in general elections held on July 3.

Police and National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) officials justified the seizures on charges that the stations lacked proper operating licenses, according to local press reports. Two of the six partisan stations are affiliated with the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest group, while the other four others are aligned with the rival United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), according to the reports.

PAD activist Supot Piriyagiatdisakul told local reporters that he believed the raid was politically motivated and organized by officials wanting to please the new incoming Peua Thai-led government. The new coalition is expected to be led by Yingluck Shinawatra, who campaigned on a national reconciliation ticket and included several UDD activists on her party list.

"All sides to Thailand's political conflict have recognized the need for reconciliation. Allowing media of all political stripes to operate freely will be crucial to those efforts," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "CPJ calls on Thailand's incoming government to improve on the outgoing administration's poor record of press freedom and to refrain from taking revenge against opposition media."

CPJ highlighted Thailand's harassment of partisan media in the 2010 edition of Attacks on the Press. A government ban imposed on the use of social media to comment on candidates or political parties on the eve of and during the July 3 polls underscored the ongoing trend of repression against new media.

The outgoing Abhisit government cracked down hard on UDD-aligned media, including an April 26 raid and closure of 13 pro-UDD community radio stations in Bangkok and surrounding areas. The drawn out process of establishing the NBTC led to a legal vacuum that successive Thai governments have exploited to shutter new broadcast media, including community radio and satellite television stations.

Violations of the ban were punishable by a possible six months in prison and 10,000 baht (US$330) fine. Police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters that a special unit of over 100 police officers was created especially to monitor for violations and was empowered to censor sites.

Despite widespread use of Twitter and other social media to report on exit polls and preliminary vote counts on election day, there were no reported arrests or harassment arising from the ban.

[Sailing into trouble]

OK so free speech means what? Singing in the Bathroom? Or maybe this is a sting! to make the new leadership look bad?

Strange they closed down 4 of their own to only 2 PAD

[DrB0b]

Just to point out that the Democrats are still in power and that Abhisit is still (I think, not sure what effect stepping down as Dem leader has on that) caretaker PM. This article gives the impression that this is a PT inspired action. It is not, the government is still controlled by the Democrats.

[Butterfly]

Police and National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) officials justified the seizures on charges that the stations lacked proper operating licenses, according to local press reports. Two of the six partisan stations are affiliated with the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest group, while the other four others are aligned with the rival United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), according to the reports.

need to clean-up before the new government joins in, a welcome gift by Abhisit to the new PM

[SteveCM]

Just to point out that the Democrats are still in power and that Abhisit is still (I think, not sure what effect stepping down as Dem leader has on that) caretaker PM. This article gives the impression that this is a PT inspired action. It is not, the government is still controlled by the Democrats.

AFAIK, Abhisit also remains party leader until he's replaced in an election by eligible Dems. In any event, he's still plainly ongoing caretaker PM until the House elects his replacement and HMK accepts the new appointment.

That said, the theory is that there's nothing politically-directed about closing down any of the thousands of community radio stations that are operating without a licence - it's [cough] purely a regulatory board/police matter. Quite how a new government that doesn't even exist yet could direct the choice of which to raid is baffling. Nor, of course, is there anything in the report that substantiates the obvious slanted implication of Bkk Post's headline. All too familiar.