(TJA/IFEX) – The following is a joint statement by the TJA, TV Cameramen and Reporters’ Association of Thailand and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA): Mob Violence against an ITV Journalist and two TV Cameramen Following the case of the physical attack by a group of people claiming to be Democrat Party supporters against Ms. […]
(TJA/IFEX) – The following is a joint statement by the TJA, TV Cameramen and Reporters’ Association of Thailand and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA):
Mob Violence against an ITV Journalist and two TV Cameramen
Following the case of the physical attack by a group of people claiming to be Democrat Party supporters against Ms. Mallika Boonmeetrakul, a journalist, and two cameramen from ITV Broadcasting Corporation who covered the Democrat Party’s election campaign on the evening of November 20, 2000, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), along with the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) and the TV Cameramen and Reporters’ Association of Thailand would like to express their concerns over the violence which was an act against Thailand’s freedom of the press as a whole.
SEAPA and its Thai counterparts strongly call for proper legal action against those who have committed this crime, and would like to make the following demands to those groups responsible for the incident.
1. SEAPA and TJA strongly denounce the brutal act of the group, which has brought down the level of the country’s freedom of speech in the eyes of the international community.
2. SEAPA and TJA demand an internal investigation in the Democrat Party to identify if there was any party official or member involved in the incident. According to the evidence, in the form of recorded video tapes of the incident provided by many television channels, it is obvious that there was such involvement by the party’s officials and members. If the party investigation confirms this fact, SEAPA urges the Democrat Party to undertake this action according to the party’s regulations and immediately report any findings to the public.
3. SEAPA and TJA call for greater caution among political parties, in order to prevent such violence from repeating itself. Parties must respect the media’s efforts to complete its task of reporting on the election campaign without fear of threats.
4. SEAPA and TJA demand that the police department take legal action against the group who committed this crime without reservations.
SEAPA, the Thai Journalists Association, and the TV Cameramen and Reporters’ Association of Thailand would like to express their deep regret regarding the remark of the Democrat Party leader, who said afterward that some media members had been bought by political parties, and that therefore, reports were not balanced. This remark has shown the lack of responsibility for the incident. We would like to urge the party leader to identify this group of media members to the public in order to prevent any possible misunderstanding.
