(TJA/IFEX) – The following is a 25 August 2000 letter to Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), of which TJA is a member: His Excellency Chuan Leekpai Prime Minister Government House Thailand Fax: 66 2 282 8587/282 8631 Your Excellency: The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is alarmed by the […]
(TJA/IFEX) – The following is a 25 August 2000 letter to Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), of which TJA is a member:
His Excellency Chuan Leekpai
Prime Minister
Government House
Thailand
Fax: 66 2 282 8587/282 8631
Your Excellency:
The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is alarmed by the bombing of a journalist’s house in Bangkok early yesterday morning, and wishes to draw the attention of your excellency to the need for swift police investigation of the incident.
At approximately 3:00 AM, a bomb exploded in front of the residence of Suriwong Uapatiphan, the news editor of Khao Sod, a leading Thai language daily newspaper. Although no one was injured, Suriwong’s house and two cars were damaged by the explosion. Prasong Lertrattanavisuth, an editor of a paper in the same newspaper group that owns Khao Sod, inspected the area after the explosion and told SEAPA that the blast was strong enough to have injured people if they were nearby.
According to press reports, police authorities believe the attack was meant to intimidate Suriwong, who writes a column for the paper which is frequently critical of the police. In recent articles he touched on alleged police corruption. He has also been sued by a police general for defamation. “I have been in this (newspaper) business for 20 years. Threats are common but this attack is way too much. My family and I are shocked it happened at our own home,” Suriwong told the Bangkok Post.
As an alliance of Southeast Asian free press advocates, SEAPA joins our colleagues in the Thai Journalists Association in condemning the attack on Suriwong and calling for a thorough investigation into the incident. Our Thai colleagues note that despite a positive climate for free expression in the country, incidents of attacks on journalists continue and are rarely solved.
It is vital that journalists be able to pursue their craft in an atmosphere free from intimidation and threat and we trust that your office will do everything it can to protect the rights of journalists and to bring those responsible for the attack on Suriwong to justice.
Respectfully yours,
Kavi Chongkittavorn
Recommended Action
Send similar appeals to the prime minister.
Appeals To
His Excellency Chuan Leekpai
Prime Minister
Government House
Thailand
Fax: 66 2 282 8587/282 8631
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.