(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 23 April 2001 letter to Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, CPJ said it was deeply disturbed by the recent murder of Withayut Sangsopit, a radio journalist and commentator who was gunned down on 10 April in the southern city of Surat Thani. While pleased that arrests have been made in the […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 23 April 2001 letter to Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, CPJ said it was deeply disturbed by the recent murder of Withayut Sangsopit, a radio journalist and commentator who was gunned down on 10 April in the southern city of Surat Thani.
While pleased that arrests have been made in the case, CPJ asked Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to urge local prosecutors to pursue charges vigorously against the arrested men.
According to police, Withayut was approached by several gunmen and shot five times as he was about to enter his radio studio to begin his popular morning program, “Catch Up With the World.” Police believe Withayut, 56, became a target for murder as a result of his reporting on irregularities involving a 50 million baht (US$1.1 million) real estate deal for a municipal garbage dump. The reports began in 1999 and eventually led the Interior Ministry to investigate the deal and order a portion of the money returned to the
government.
Police have arrested two men in connection with the shooting. One of them, Kosol Ohthong, is a municipal councilor in Surat Thani and was implicated in the garbage dump scandal. He is accused of ordering the killing.
A well-known radio commentator in southern Thailand, Withayut was for many years a correspondent for the Bangkok-based, Thai-language “Daily News” before starting his radio program. Police say that the journalist had received numerous death threats and was under police protection prior to the murder. However, Withayut’s protection was lifted shortly before the killing, according to several Thai newspapers.
CPJ has publicly praised the strength of the Thai media, but the organization remains concerned about the vulnerability of provincial reporters, especially those who pursue local corruption stories.
In April 2000, for example, newspaper editor Amnat Jongyotying was shot and seriously wounded in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Even though several suspects were arrested and charged with attempted murder, the case has yet to progress quickly through the courts. Meanwhile, Amnat continues to receive threats.
CPJ believes that a strong and unequivocal message must be sent that the state will not tolerate attacks against the press.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the prime minister:
– urging his government to do everything in its power to see that those who murdered Withayut face charges promptly in a court of law
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:His Excellency Thaksin Shinawatra
Prime Minister
Government House
Bangkok, Thailand
Fax: +66 2 282 8587Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
