‘Reporters without Borders today publishes a scathing attack by Thailand’s military leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha whom the report describes as an ‘eccentric megalomaniac’.
Led by Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the Thai junta has been persecuting the media for the past 18 months, imposing a reign of terror that has included interrogations, arbitrary arrests, a spate of prosecutions and barely veiled threats.
And it highlights the arrests of journalists under Thailand’s lese majeste laws (insulting the king).
As a result Thailand has lost freedoms won at a cost during the last decade which have put it at number 134 in 180 counties in the Press Freedom Index.
In terms of foreign journalists the report deals with the harassment of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, and highlights new questions now being asked about the their thoughts on the King of Thailand, and their opinion of the current government, when journalists apply for accreditation.
And the report singles out several foreign journalists.
They include:
(1) The libel and computer crime act cases against Australian Alan Morison with Chutima Sidasathian, of Phuketwan, who were prosecuted by the Royal Thai Navy for suggesting that the military service was making money out of the human trafficking of the Rohingya.
They won their case but the Navy could still appeal.
(2) The attacks on German photo-journalist Nick Nostitz who was the subject of an orchestrated campaign of harassment by local after being accused of being a spy for the ‘Red Shirts’.
(3) The necessity for British journalist Andrew Drummond (author of this site) who investigated transnational crime to have to quit Thailand after 25 years after threats which would have affected the safety of his three children.
“The need to protect state secrets and prevent threats to national security is a useful pretext for covering up long-standing illegal practices and scandals, some of which have proved harder to expose than others. This is the case with Thailand’s “boiler rooms” – fraudulent international share trading centres involving foreign criminals, Thai organized crime and members of the Thai police and judicial system.
British freelance journalist Andrew Drummond received many death threats after getting too close to this milieu, one populated with every kind of corrupt official, policeman, army officer and judge. Drummond had to flee the country after the latest and most serious of these threats.”
Read the full report at this link and its recommendations.
COMMENT
Its worth reading the full report. In a nutshell very little truth is coming out of Thailand at present as it is almost impossible to report what the government is really up to.
Nothing new in this Andrew apart from moving a few chess pieces across the board. Thailand has had more military coups over the last fifty years than any other developing country in the world. Thailand means freeland but what a paradox. The truth is the key issue in controlling the proletariat. The figureheads we have at the top of our ceremonial tree in the UK are used elsewhere as methods of control just as the Catholic church did in Eire and Latin America. Without pointing the finger I am sure you appreciate that when key figures reach the end of their life the political situation may become unstable. Promotion of the status quo comes in to play as has happened recently with certain public participation events. Thai's were never inclined to choose the Norman Tebbit transportation method until the army suggested a way of pledging their commitment.
Thailand is facing major issues regarding slavery in fishing,lack of aviation regulation and increased pressure to comply with rampant corruption of the legislature and judiciary. I am sure you appreciate the latter having had to face your own problems with corrupt officials.
I think everyone knows what the Thai Government is up to.
It is hell now without the services of Noyes one stop shop and the fake barrister to help foreigners in need of help. However, the British Consulate is on hand to assist anyone needing consular advice. So reassuring to know this.
As long as you hace foreign businessmen willing to set up steel trading, water pollution, energy power plants , and oil deals to mentio a few there will always be corruptio at top level.
These are large syndicates from Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Hong Kong which are using their influence to get to Governments (including British). They are likened to Dick Cheynne. Destroy it, then sneak in and fix it.
Very hard to disagree with anything in that enlightening RSF report.
Have you bloked me from reading comments
Seems to be a problem with comment section.
As an aside on the " megalomaniac" moniker. Bangkok Post ( Sunday Nov 15 issue p 2) Milestones column reports a 3.2 billion baht Airbus ACJ-320 jet was procured in September for the PM's exclusive use to head off to all those ASEAN summits . Guess that's what Yingluck's money paid for. BTW the base price is 2.7 billion baht so this bird has all the goodies.