(SEAPA/TJA/IFEX) – The TJA, a member of SEAPA, and Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA) condemn the attack with explosive devices perpetrated against “The Manager Daily” newspaper, calling the incident a “reckless act aimed at threatening the work of the media.” At around 10:15 p.m. (local time) on 15 June 2008, unidentified assailants on motorcycles lobbed […]
(SEAPA/TJA/IFEX) – The TJA, a member of SEAPA, and Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA) condemn the attack with explosive devices perpetrated against “The Manager Daily” newspaper, calling the incident a “reckless act aimed at threatening the work of the media.”
At around 10:15 p.m. (local time) on 15 June 2008, unidentified assailants on motorcycles lobbed two small explosive devices at the newspaper’s offices, located on Phra Arthit Road in Bangkok. The devices exploded loudly but did not cause any injuries.
The TJA views the attack as a deliberate act of harassment against a critical newspaper, and said the act “constitutes a challenge to the power and authority of police officers in protecting the public and maintaining peace and order.”
SEAPA joins the TJA and the TBJA in urging the Thai police to bring the perpetrators to justice. If the perpetrators of such acts are not held to account, the resulting atmosphere of impunity threatens freedom of the media in general.
“We urge the police to report to the public on their progress in investigating this case as promptly as possible. A swift response will restore the confidence of media professionals – and of society in general – in the competency of the country’s security and justice agencies,” the TJA-TBJA statement says. “A threat to media freedom is a threat to the public.”
