The news production and programme director of state mouthpiece NBT Channel 11 has been suspended for presenting news considered “unacceptable” to the junta.
The order suspending Charoensri Hongprasong was issued on Friday and signed by Chamlong Singtongam, director of the Radio and Television Station of Thailand.
Both NBT and the Radio and Television Station of Thailand fall under the state Public Relations Department.
Ms Charoensri was reportedly suspended because NBT violated the junta’s standing orders in its 7pm news programme last Friday.
It was unclear exactly which segment of the news programme was considered in breach of military directives.
Orders 14 and 18 from the junta prohibit radio and television stations from broadcasting news which may “stir conflict or resistance” against the coup makers.
Jittima Wuthiwant, a mass media specialist, has been assigned to perform Ms Charoensri’s duties until further notice.
Public Relations Department chief Apinant Jantharangsee said he has called Ms Charoensri in to “explain herself” today.
Also yesterday, Norway-based mobile operator Telenor Group, which owns Total Access Communication (Dtac), expressed regret for confirming to the media that it had been ordered by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) on May 28 to temporarily block access to Facebook for its Thailand subscribers.
The restriction was put into effect and affected Dtac’s 10 million Facebook-using customers.
In a statement yesterday, Telenor said it recognised the actions had damaged the public image of the junta. The executives of Telenor Group and Dtac “regret what happened” and apologised to the NBTC and the junta.
The NBTC had earlier lashed Telenor for making the revelation and vowed to thoroughly scrutinise Dtac’s shareholding structure.
Meanwhile, in Sa Kaeo, police and military rangers escorted Kanyaphak Maneechak, a DJ and a key figure in the red-shirt Rak Chiang Mai 51 group, from a casino in Cambodia’s Poi Pet province for detention at Suraseehanart military camp in Aranyaprathet district.
Ms Kanpayphak reportedly contacted Col Phichit Meekhunsut, commander of a special task force unit under the 12th Military Ranger Regiment, saying she wanted to turn herself in.
She was one of hundreds of people summoned by the junta in recent weeks, but failed to report in.