The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has asked journalists and a German human rights group to call off a press conference today announcing its report on Thai press freedom.
Published: 30/01/2015 at 06:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has asked journalists and a German human rights group to call off a press conference today announcing its report on Thai press freedom.
The military regime said the event may unhinge its efforts to maintain peace and avoid the sparking of new conflicts.
The German human rights agency Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) were scheduled to gather at VIE Hotel Bangkok in Ratchathewi district to unveil the latest Asia Media Barometer report, which has assessed media freedom since 2009.
On Wednesday, a military officer contacted the FES seeking to delay the delivery of its report on the Thai media, offering a brief explanation that the press conference might touch on topics that are “too sensitive” and could cause “damage” as a result, the FES said.
The FES sent a notice to media agencies Thursday saying it would “follow the request”.
The NCPO, which led a coup on May 22 that toppled the Yingluck Shinawatra government, has been on high alert to any activities that could disrupt its attempts to restore peace in society severely torn by a long-running quarrel between opponents and supporters of Ms Yingluck’s elder brother and former prime minister Thaksin, who was found guilty of abuse of power during his term in office by the Supreme Court.
TJA vice-president Manop Thip-osod said the NCPO’s concerns are understandable, but it should have more carefully considered whether the press conference would have inflamed tensions.
He said its decision may hurt the country’s image in the international community, which is closely watching political and social conditions here.
The cancellation — of a press conference on media freedom, no less — raises “concern over basic rights to expression” and “a loss of opportunity” to hear academic research, Mr Manop said.
The FES report shows that the Thai media has undergone rapid changes over the past five years, having been shaped and directed by major political changes between 2010 and 2014.
According to its findings, Thai journalists have braved political violence to report the news amid concerns over their safety.
Some media agencies were threatened and confronted by protesters who disagreed with their reports. It said no media agency is really equipped to handle these situations.
The FES also examined media units run by rival political camps, noting they tended to resort to hate speech that worsened political conflict, partly explaining the NCPO’s need to restrict some media freedoms.
Many news organisations placed a higher value on reporting the news quickly than ensuring its accuracy, the FES found.
The FES cancellation came the same day that US-based Freedom House yesterday issued its report, saying Thailand’s freedom rating was down from “partly free” in 2013 to “not free” last year because of the harsher restrictions of freedom of expression and assembly following the coup.
Freedom House lauded steady improvement in the Asia-Pacific region over the past five years, except in certain areas, including China, North Korea and Thailand.