Posts Tagged ‘Thailand’
April 28th, 2011
The
Thai government forced the closure of 13 radio stations on Tuesday (26 April) and issued them with court warrants for broadcasting a speech by an opposition leader in which the monarchy was criticised. In Thailand, Les majeste, or offence against the monarchy, carries a
maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. It is as yet unclear whether the stations will face such a charge. According to
rights organisations most of the sanctioned stations are openly aligned with the opposition.
Local reports have also claimed that police plan to raid additional radio stations.
March 16th, 2011
Thanthawut Taweewarodomkul, who operated an anti-government website, has been
sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of lese majeste and breaching the Computer Crime Act. He was arrested in April 2010, during the anti-government Red Shirt protests, on the charge that his website carried an article that insulted the king. His sentencing comes at a time when another website editor,
Chiranuch Premchaiporn, faces a long prison sentence for not being quick enough to take down comments critical of the king that had been left on her website by a user.
February 21st, 2011
The case of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, the webmaster on trial in Bangkok, has far-reaching implications for freedom of speech – not just in Thailand, but in the wider region too, argues Gayathry Venkiteswaran (more…)
February 15th, 2011
An appeals court has
overturned an 18-year prison sentence handed out to activist Daranee Charnchoengsilapakul. The activist, better known as Da Torpedo, was
charged with insulting the monarchy for speeches she made at anti-government rallies in 2008, and tried behind closed doors. She is still in prison pending an application for bail, and could still face a new trial.
September 24th, 2010
The manager of a popular Thai news website was
detained earlier today on charges of insulting the monarchy and violating the Computer Crime Act. Chiranuch Premchaiporn was returning from an
Internet freedom conference in Hungary when she was arrested at Bangkok’s international airport. Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanomsit Wongwijarn said that police had received a complaint in early 2009 about messages posted on Chiranuch’s site Prachatai.
July 20th, 2010
Reports from Thailand state that 26 community radio stations have
recently been closed down by the government using emergency decrees. Thai authorities claim that the stations incited people to join the Red Shirt protests earlier this year and were guilty of distorting information. The government had initiated a
media blackout during the protests. Allegedly, 35 people linked to the stations are being threatened with lawsuits for the offences.
Staff have been reminded not to air any political views at some community stations to avoid government censorship. Reports state that 500 officials were mobilised in closing down one station in Chiang Mai.
June 22nd, 2010
Tesco has dropped its libel case against Thai columnist Kamol Kamoltrakul (pictured). But the libel laws in Thailand are still hostile to journalists, as Sinfah Tunsarawuth explained in Index on Censorship’s “Big Chill” issue
(more…)
May 19th, 2010
The South East Asia Press Alliance’s statement on media casualties in Bangkok
(more…)
