Two Phuket-based journalists accused of defaming the navy in their report on Rohingya trafficking are adamant they will not apologise in exchange for withdrawal of the criminal libel case which goes to trial Tuesday in the Phuket provincial court.
Phuketwan editor Alan Morison and reporter Chutima Sidasathien said the Royal Thai Navy offered to withdraw the libel case against them if they apologise. But the online news journalists declined the offer, saying they did nothing wrong.
Mr Morison, 67, and Ms Chutima, 34, are being sued under the defamation law and Computer Crimes Act. The charges stem from one paragraph, copied from a Pulitzer Prize-winning piece by Reuters which examined Thailand's role in the trafficking of Rohingya migrants, published in 2013.
The Phuketwan and Reuters reports uncovered the human trafficking problem which ultimately led to the arrest of 100 people in Thailand, including police and military officers, this year.
The provincial court has set three days for the trial which is scheduled to end on Thursday. The verdict is expected to be reached within the year.
"It serves no purpose to apologise because while the navy can drop the criminal libel suit, the state cannot drop the charge filed under the Computer Crimes Act," Mr Morison said.
Ms Chutima, a Nakhon Ratchasima native, added: "We haven't apologised because we have done no wrong to the Royal Thai Navy."
Mr Morison said an apology is an admission that you've done something wrong and the court would obviously take this into account. "We have always said that, because the paragraph was written by Reuters' journalists, not us, that Reuters should be asked to apologise. When Reuters apologises, we will consider whether we should too," Mr Morison said.
Both journalists could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.
Eight human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, issued a public appeal last Thursday to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop the charges. They said the legal action threatens the right to freedom of opinion and expression that is supposed to be the bedrock of Thailand's democratic society.
Apart from Mr Morison's 35-year-old son flying in from Australia, three representatives from the Australian embassy will also fly to Phuket from Bangkok to attend the trial.