Let's rock the keyboard

COMMENTARY

Published: 6/11/2011 at 02:19 AM
Newspaper section: News

The pen is mightier than the sword, they say. What they forget to mention is that the sword is sharper than the pen and can leave quite a nasty gash.

But here's a new saying, ''National police chief Gen Priewpan Damapong is mightier than the pen.''

On Oct 18, while Thailand was locked in a flood disaster and as the northern run-off made its way down to Bangkok, the Yingluck Shinawatra cabinet managed to sneak through an anti-free speech proposal.

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About the author

: Writer: Voranai Vanijaka; Position: Political and Social Commentator

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johninbkk
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Discussion 49 : 15/11/2011 at 10:43 AM49
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englishbob D40 - Considering it was the Cultural Ministry that proposed it, they were more likely trying to ban planking, or topless girls at Songkran, or the next movie than anything critical of TS.
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bkkmatt
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Discussion 48 : 06/11/2011 at 11:59 PM48
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Dr. Smith diss 42.... By far the best comment aout of the other 47 posters throwing their handbags around at eachother, like they do most days. Some of BP's daily commentators remind me of the current political squabbles and in-fighting between FROC, BMA and YS......

Get it all off your chest boys because maybe BP will lose Voranai (who IMO is one of the only journalists brave enough to write about important and challenging issues in Thailand) and you will also lose your chance to comment and squabble with eachother every day.
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cocoricco
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Discussion 47 : 06/11/2011 at 10:08 PM47
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Shameful,hypocrites, against what the red shirt so called drive to democracy was all about. The only light at the end of the tunnel is Thais are not duped too easily. Yingluck blindly fallows the path of her brother, never learned a lesson. Can't wait until she looks 40 years older in 12 months from all the hypocrite words coming out of her mouth. Pen Khum...the Thaksinate revo failed then and will fail now.
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cassie
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Discussion 46 : 06/11/2011 at 09:44 PM46
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I used to be a huge supporter of Yingluck. I now hope she is kicked out as fast as her brother was. Worthless doesn't even begin to describe this woman or the Pheu Thai party.
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banmebkk
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Discussion 45 : 06/11/2011 at 09:11 PM45
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So who is crying about censorship and oppression again? all these dirty politicians are the same same. The PTP is no better, they still weld the same censorship power.
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amazed
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Discussion 44 : 06/11/2011 at 09:09 PM44
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bula - Your last comment was a very reasonable one. Facts should always be behind comments made and the courts, or even discussions such as these, can work out the interpretations. And, while I have seen and heard many things that are quite disagreeable, I must allow for the right to say or write them. Any effort to censor them must, as you point out, be taken on an individual basis, through the courts and proven justifiable. My frustrations in all of this have been soothed a great deal in just reading the comments here. I am sure everyone here is adding to the discussion with only the welfare of Thailand in mind, and as we see, there is much that all sides need to do to correct selfish, one sided approaches that a number of administrations have taken. I am not for any one side or individual, I am for Thailand.
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englishbob
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Discussion 43 : 06/11/2011 at 08:23 PM43
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The moderating that goes on here is very erratic. Oftentimes, it is virtually impossible to get any comment published. Other times it seems that only one side of the story is permitted.
I can only guess that different moderators apply different criteria.
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drsmith
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Discussion 42 : 06/11/2011 at 08:16 PM42
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When the news bends over for advertisers, the military, the police and anyone else in power, it no longer becomes trustworthy. News becomes an accomplice to crimes being committed by these powers to be. Thai news reporters are long in words, short in action, fearing for their own lives over the truth, typing away like blind sheep at mundane stories; approved by those same powers to be. There is not one brave Thai reporter in the entire country willing to investigate a story that may endanger themselves. News media is an accomplice as they see the corruption, they know the details, yet they blindly keep the people from the truth. This is not Democratic in anyway. This is a disgrace to all newsmen around the world that have given their lives to report the truth.
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android
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Discussion 41 : 06/11/2011 at 07:24 PM41
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Likewise, BP is doing the same kind of biased censorship on forum comments from the readers.
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englishbob
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Discussion 40 : 06/11/2011 at 06:19 PM40
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I checked on the links JohninBKK kindly sent me...
It appears the amendments have been paused - not thrown out. They have been sent back for further analysis as they may be illegal. There is still a good chance they will be resubmitted once the analysis is complete.

Regardless, the fact that it was a Peua Thai cabinet that chose to forward these amendments during a national emergency, effectively handing Thaksin's brother-in-law carte blanche to be the watchdog of all press media should be a wake-up call to all those who are still clinging desperately to the idea that Peua Thai is not simply Thaksin's pet lapdog.
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