Saha Group, the country's largest consumer product conglomerate, has begun withdrawing advertising from TV programmes hosted by Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda following his conviction and sentencing on Monday over a TV ad revenue scam.
Some subsidiaries of Saha Group started cancelling advertising on Tuesday, a source at the company said. The move is in line with ethics principles of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT), of which it is a member.
"We have no intention to rub salt into the wounds of anyone," the source said, referring to Sorrayuth.
"Not only Saha Group pursues such practices, but other companies which are ACT members must also follow suit."
The ACT has also been talking with other private companies in its network, encouraging them to stop sponsoring Sorrayuth's TV programmes.
In a statement released Wednesday, the ACT called for Sorrayuth to step down from his role as anchor until judicial procedures are concluded. The TV anchor has insisted on appealing the case.
Mana Nimitmongkol, the ACT's secretary-general, said ACT mechanisms include refraining from placing advertisements with the channel or production companies owned by Sorrayuth.
However, he said that good cooperation and a strong position are crucial for the campaign to succeed, as the boycott depends entirely on companies' willingness to participate.
"We would like companies to put their business gains aside and focus on national interests instead," Mr Mana argued. If Sorrayuth is allowed to conduct business as usual, he will set a bad example for Thai society.
The ACT intends to call on viewers to shun the anchor's TV shows regardless of their personal preferences, he said.
Thai people tend to complain that there is corruption among politicians or state officials, he said. However, he argued that they should be watchful of the private sector and civil society too.
"If private companies take part in fraud or turn a blind eye when one of them is involved, social change will never be achieved," he said. All parties must work together to address the problem, he added.
Meanwhile, the Media Agency Association of Thailand (MAAT) released a statement saying its members base their business on the number of TV viewers or ratings.
Any client who wants to cancel their programme adverts must provide written notification to the media agency so they can find alternatives, it says.
Also on Wednesday, MAAT president Wannee Rattanapol said some companies that had already placed advertisements on Sorrayuth's programme had started to cancel.
This occurred because the programme's host violated media ethics and failed to run a transparent business, she said.
Sorrayuth and his company, Rai Som, were found guilty of cheating the Mass Communications Organisation of Thailand (MCOT) out of more than 138 million baht in advertising revenue during his news talk programme on Channel 9 in 2005 and 2006 by bribing an MCOT employee to conceal records of extra advertising.
He was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison and was released on bail. He is appealing the ruling.
Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya has warned state officials invited on TV programmes hosted by Sorrayuth to use their discretion in deciding whether to appear.
His comments came one day after the Revenue Department's director-general, Prasong Poontaneat, appeared in an interview on an evening news programme hosted by Sorrayuth.
For any civil servant or senior figure invited to appear on Sorrayuth's programmes, individuals must decide whether to appear or not based on individual considerations of ethics and morality, he said.
"The decision they make is based on how they understand corruption issues," he said.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the government has checked and found that Mr Prasong's interview was taped before the court ruling but was aired on Tuesday.
"The government honours the court's ruling and respects society's wish to build up good governance and ethics in this country," he said.
Meanwhile, Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, who is a spokesman for the National Reform Steering Assembly, said NRSA members will ask the council's chairman Thinnaphan Nakhata to hold a session to discuss the case.
She criticised TV executives who continue to allow Sorrayuth to host programmes.
"This represents moral degradation in social culture," Khunying Porntip said.
"I insist I will no longer accept invitations to appear on any programmes hosted by Sorrayuth," she said.