Times refuses to hand over Thaksin tape

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Times refuses to hand over Thaksin tape

Published: 22/11/2009 at 06:16 PM
Online news: Local News

The London newspaper that printed an interview with Thaksin Shinawatra focussing on the monarchy has "unofficially" refused to turn over the original tape to the Thai government, PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey said on Sunday.

Mr Sathit speaks to the media on Sunday

The government "requested" a copy of the original tape of the interview between The Times newspaper and the fugitive ex-premier, the miinster said.

The interview took place earlier this month, and according to Mr Satit it is "thought to contain material considered offensive to the monarchy."

Mr Sathit told repoerters the daily did not provide a reason why it would not provide the taped interview, but merely said it had the right not to comply with the request.

Mr Sathit said he had again ordered officials to send a request again and ask the daily to "reply officially". He claimed the article hurt the feelings of the Thai people.

The interview was conducted in Dubai where Thaksin is staying in self-imposed exile. The newspaper said the interviewer was Richard Lloyd Parry, a British foreign correspondent who is Tokyo-based Asia editor of The Times.

The ex-premier has claimed the online edition of The Times "distorted" his remarks.

Thaksin was sentenced in absentia in October last year by a Bangkok court to two years' imprisonment for abuse of power by helping his then-wife acquire a parcel of prime Bangkok commercial property at a price far below its market value. (TNA)

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timjack

Discussion 29 : 24/11/2009 at 09:29 AM29
ricefieldradio - spot on! but in this case it's the other way around, Thailand is trying to pressure The Times in London who don't worry about "loss of face," the fundamental difference between Asia and the Western media as Bubba was pointing out.

cheers
ricefieldradio

Discussion 28 : 24/11/2009 at 12:39 AM28
timjack - In Asia you will find few corespondents, including western ones who have been here for a while, asking hard questions. In the society it is considered rude to put someone on the spot so they lose face. If as a reporter you did this too often you would soon find yourself in another line of work because your contacts would not speak to you.

Those educated and having worked in the western press are a bit better but are always aware that they have to be careful about what they ask and exactly how they ask it.
timjack

Discussion 27 : 23/11/2009 at 04:23 PM27
Bubba; Discussion 26 you are quiet right in what you say, in this case "PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey" appears to not have a clue how it all works in the International press, his boss DOES know how it works in the UK, as he was born and educated there.

In all societies the rich get richer and the poor stay pretty much poor. Mature democratic societies with strong middle classes IE The UK, USA Canada Australia, New Zealand and most Western European countries all have strong freedoms of the press. If you don't like what your are reading/watching you can simply stop reading it our change the channel and get on with your life without fear in what you believe in.

This whole issue reminds me of the last Olympics in Beijing, every day there was a news conference up until about day 6 or 7 when the foreign media started asking hard questions Beijing did not want to answer hence they canceled the daily news conference.

It's the old "East meets West" problem when freedom of speech V controlled speech confronts each other. Never the twain shall meet!
Bubba

Discussion 26 : 23/11/2009 at 11:10 AM26
JOSEPH # 21: "freedom of the press.it is one of the founding principles of western civilized societies.
the press is not an arm of the government but an entity that reports on the government to keep the populace informed and the government under scrutiny.the press enables a free society to be even more free."

I agree with you about the freedom of the press but within limits only.

In the USA in particular the press is owned by the very wealthy, most often, albeit not always conservative republicans. These owners live next door to the wealthy politicians and the wealthy business owners, etceteras.

They send their kids to the same elite schools, pay at the same unaffordable golf courses and get driven in cloned limos to eat the same restaurants. They are not about to be critical of what they themselves are a part of and benefit from.

As the owners are the ones journalists work for, the output is rarely other than what is expected by the wealthy in order to perpetuate their advantages.

However yes, occasionally good journalism comes along and actually does expose the lies and crimes and injustices committed at the very top.

And of course yes, that freedom of the press, no mater how eroded and manipulated it has become is still better than the almost total control in some controls.

I personally know several journalists in Thailand and all of them love their country but, they also often complain and certainly always acknowledge that the restriction(s) to which they are forced to adhere are sometimes stifling, both for them as journalists and for the country.
ricefieldradio

Discussion 25 : 23/11/2009 at 08:12 AM25
Something to think about El. Although the Times may not be what it used to be it's been in existence 3 1/2 times longer than democracy in Thailand has existed. There is something in that for you to think about.
Uncle Jack

Discussion 24 : 23/11/2009 at 04:44 AM24
The Thai Govt has no right whatsoever to make demands of a newspaper published overseas. It would be wise to temper its "demands" with a little dignity and commonsense. Either that, or ensure a truly democratic electoral system where the Thai people have the right to CHOOSE their government and not have one thrust upon them!
El

Discussion 23 : 23/11/2009 at 02:53 AM23
Mod "hit the nail right on the head" when, regarding The Times, he pointed out:

"The Times is not what it used to be. It is now owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox News in the USA which is systematically trying to destroy, with various dubious reporting, the reputation of the elected President of the United States."

As for the Abhisit government's rationale for requesting the interview tape: I believe it a reasonable request, albeit one that no newspaper in a liberal democracy is apt to comply with (even papers NOT owned by rightwing racists like Murdoch). The fact is that Thaksin has a number of occasions made statements that, in every way except use of the direct words, blame his ouster on the highest institution in the land.

The only reason that he has not come right out and said it, point blank, is that he knows very well that a direct accusation would undermine his support among many of the redshirts. But, clearly, if you have followed his pronouncements and utterances over the past three years, he believes that his ouster was mandated at levels far beyond General Sondhi.

Given this, it makes sense for the government to want to know EXACTLY what he said. The fact that no lese majeste laws exist in most other countries around the world does not -- and should not -- preclude Thailand from taking steps to enforce its own lese majeste laws, if they have in fact been breached.

Just my two satang . . . .
Peter Pan

Discussion 22 : 23/11/2009 at 02:29 AM22
Well, our government solved all the problems of this country. Excellent education, no poverty, a healthy environment, financially sound economy, no corruption and a stable and accepted political system with free speech for everyone.

Since there's nothing else to do for them they turn paranoid and see a Thaksin shadow hiding behing every corner ... it's a witch hunt .. maybe they should have banned Harry Potter a couple of years back. How childish and short sighted. But what else could we ever expect from them. Did our milky PM learn this at Harward? ha ha
joseph lawrence

Discussion 21 : 23/11/2009 at 01:34 AM21
the reason the London newspaper will not turn over the taped interview to the Thai government is a relatively simple concept the west grasps but the east...like china, thailand and cambodia do not.....it is called freedom of the press.it is one of the founding principles of western civilized societies.
the press is not an arm of the government but an entity that reports on the government to keep the populace informed and the government under scrutiny.the press enables a free society to be even more free.for the thai government to use the press for purposes of prosecution/persecution shows just how far this 2500 year old country has not come in the democratic evolutionary proceess.
thailand is just a third world laughing stock, corrupt from top to bottom...government, police, military.
Bubba

Discussion 20 : 23/11/2009 at 12:02 AM20
MOD #11: "the request was perfectly reasonable given the content of the article"

MOD I am 100% sure you do not even know the content of the article/interview. I have read and re-read in several times. There is no way n which it constitutes lese majeste. Is it not evident that banning the interview from the public in Thaland is meant to make sure people accept what the government wants them to believe?

If the government is right, they should simply allow the interview to be read by its citizens. If you need a team of biased experts to prove a point 99 out of 100 people not never agree with, something is wrong.

I believe the Thai government very well knows this. The whole thing i just a show purely staged for home consumption.

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Times refuses to hand over Thaksin tape