The NCPO's big-stick blunder

The NCPO's big-stick blunder

The mutual understanding and respect for each other's roles between the media and the military during the transition period seem to have reached breaking point after the unpleasant incident last week at the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) television station.

A small group of army officers led by a Colonel Sor (his real name was not mentioned, just referred to by the first letter of his name for reasons that readers should understand) made an uninvited visit to the publicly funded TV station to complain about an episode of the Voices of the People before Reform programme and the conduct of host Nattaya Waewweerakup.

The colonel reportedly claimed he was acting on an order from his "boss" who was particularly uncomfortable with the way Nattaya raised some questions pertaining to the coup − and demanded the programme be pulled.

The episode in question was shot in Hat Yai and aired on Thai PBS on Nov 8. Isranews reported that what irked the military was the scene of people holding protest posters in the background as interviews were being conducted by Nattaya which should have been cut. The military was also disturbed by the way she made some questions to the interviewees appear as if the military was causing discord in the country.

However, what actually incensed the Thai Journalists Association and several human rights advocacy groups such as the Human Rights Lawyers Association and the Union for Civil Liberty was the way the military intimidated Nattaya and Thai PBS.

Isranews said the military group made some "worrying" remarks, causing the female journalist to withdraw from the programme. The group also indicated that they have the power to suspend funding for Thai PBS − its budget comes from the so-called sin taxes on tobacco and cigarettes.

After the shooting of the programme in Hat Yai, Isranews reported that Nattaya produced another episode of the same programme in Nakhon Pathom in cooperation with the Rajabhat Nakhon Pathom Institute on Nov 12.

The military got wind of it and sent a team of military officers to the scene to talk about "something" with the reporter − she then decided to pull out of the programme, said Isranews, adding that the format of the programme which was originally supposed to be a forum for people to air their opinions on reform was abruptly changed to straight reporting of a news event.

Isranews reported that the military group was not sure the programme would be withdrawn. They went to the Thai PBS office to demand a meeting with the management.

When asked about the Thai PBS incident last Friday, government spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said he had only learnt about it from reporters. But he quickly denied the government had anything to do with the incident.

When the Thai PBS incident was posted on social media outlets, it generated a flood of responses criticising the military's heavy-handed approach and prompted the TJA to take action against what it alleged was suppression of free expression and media personnel by the military.

This presumed military intimidation of Thai PBS reminds me of similar threats to those sections of the media that opposed the "Thaksin regime" about a decade ago. Then, the government did not use such a brazen approach as occurred in the Thai PBS case. Instead it had "henchmen" who had direct access to the bosses of each news agency who would make "requests" that could not be refused − pretty much like Don Corleone in the film The Godfather.

The Thaksin regime was more sophisticated in its approach to dealing with a dissenting media. It knew the media's lifeline was revenue from advertising and exploited this to the fullest to keep the media under control.

TJA vice-president Manop Thip-osod said the organisation will petition the National Legislative Assembly to revoke the NCPO's orders No.97 and No.103 which restrict press freedoms, such as the ban on interviews with former government officials, judges or academics whose statements may cause public "confusion". The TJA also wants a review of martial law.

Since the NLA is answerable to the NCPO and the government as many of its members are generals and officials, it is doubtful that the TJA will get what it wants.

Yet the protests over the unpleasant incident at Thai PBS should sound an early warning to the government and the NCPO that intimidation of the media and suppression of free expression, with or without its consent, is a big mistake. 

The "big stick" should be used against crooks, criminals, corrupt officials and mafia bosses among others. Not against the media.

Veera Prateepchaikul is a former editor, Bangkok Post.

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