Thailand

The President of AMARC Asia-Pacific has called upon the Thai junta to take into account the invaluable contributions that community radios can offer towards inclusive dialogue and peace-building.

As part of its seizure of the apparatus of government, Thailand has also taken steps to extend its control over the country’s Internet users.

It is crucial that civil liberties – including freedom of opinion and speech, media freedom and access to information – be restored quickly in Thailand, SEAPA urges. In the interim constitution, freedom of expression guarantees and protections must not be weakened.

Six weeks after the murder of prominent ‘red-shirt’ poet Mainueng K. Kunthee, freedom of expression is severely suppressed and a climate of fear prevails. It is thought that the poet may have been targeted for his political activism amidst the escalating political violence in the country at the time.

The Thai military should end its arrests of individuals engaged in peaceful protest or criticism of the 22 May military coup or the imposition of martial law, Human Rights Watch said.

Since martial law was declared in Thailand, about 100 web pages have been blocked, 15 satellite and cable television and an undetermined number of community radio stations were closed for being deemed by the army as propagating political partisanship.

All independent television and radio broadcasts in Thailand, including transmissions from foreign stations such as the BBC, Fox and CNN, have been suspended since the military coup, replaced by a military-run TV and radio broadcast that has been playing throughout the country.

Shutting down media channels and banning critical commentary on the political situation in Thailand is misdirected and an overreaction, SEAPA warns.

On 9 May, anti-government protesters besieged five state-owned free-television channels in a bid to force them to stop presenting news about the government.

The Thai authorities are urged to immediately investigate the murder of a prominent poet and “Red Shirt” political activist widely known for his opposition to Thailand’s law banning criticism of the monarchy.

The criminal defamation charges brought against journalists Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian aim ultimately to curb further reporting on the Thai military’s alleged involvement in gross human rights abuses, said CPJ.

Two journalists in Thailand’s Phuket province will be formally charged on 10 March 2014 for criminal defamation and violating the Computer Crime Act (CCA) in connection with an online news article about Rohingya Muslim refugees.

The IFJ has reaffirmed its stance on the need for security of journalists working in Thailand to be assured after five journalists were injured in two separate incidents as protesters clashed with police.

Two journalists, a Thai and an American, were injured while covering clashes between government supporters and opponents in the Bangkok suburb of Laksi on the eve of the general elections.

Thailand’s upcoming landmark election presents a rare opportunity to listen to what the people have to say in this protracted political crisis, says SEAPA.

The state of emergency imposed on 21 January 2014 by Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinwatra threatens to curb media coverage of recent anti-government protests in the national capital.