ARCHIVES: Thailand
A Thai journalist wounded during an army crackdown on a mass protest in April is suing prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and other top officials for attempted murder, his lawyer said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Bodin Watcharobol, a 42-year-old freelance photographer, was shot and seriously wounded as armed troops tried to clear an area of the capital of demonstrators, leaving 26 people dead after one day of fierce street battles. The details: [ Link ] The suit, filed on Thursday (... MORE
Thai authorities, using the emergency decree, have recently shut down 26 more community radio stations in nine provinces, media reports said. The Nation said six more stations were pressured to discontinue their operations. The English-language newspaper also reported that 35 people working for these stations, like radio hosts, station managers and executives, are facing lawsuits for allegedly encouraging their listeners to join the Red Shirt protest rally in Bangkok a few months ago, and for... MORE
Freelance Italian photojournalist Fabio Polenghi was killed and three international journalists were among dozens of people injured today during clashes in Bangkok, according to international news reports. The fighting followed a military operation to clear an area occupied for six weeks by anti-government protesters. Demonstrators attacked and threatened local media outlets for perceived government bias in the ensuing disorder, while officials ordered that TV stations air only government-... MORE
The security situation for reporters has been deteriorating in Thailand as government forces and anti-government protesters exchange fire in the national capital. Three journalists were shot and injured on Friday when security forces and protesters exchanged fire that resulted in at least seven deaths and more than 100 injuries, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported. Three bullets struck Nelson Rand, a Canadian reporter with France 24, in the arm, leg, and abdomen while he was... MORE
Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto was fatally shot during armed exchanges between Thailand soldiers and antigovernment protestors on Saturday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported. Muramoto, a Japanese national, was shot in the chest while filming an early-afternoon confrontation and was pronounced dead at a Bangkok hospital, according to local and international news reports. Japan’s Foreign Ministry has urged the Thai government to launch a probe and has instructed its Bangkok... MORE
The Thai government should restore access to news outlets censored after a state of emergency was declared Wednesday in response to antigovernment protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said. Journalists reporting on the unrest are increasingly vulnerable to physical assault as clashes between protesters and authorities escalate. A number of opposition websites and at least one TV channel, the opposition-run satellite station People’s Television, were unavailable Thursday... MORE
Grenade attacks were launched against two state-owned television news stations in Thailand on Saturday, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The attacks—one against army-run Channel 5, the other against the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT)—took place Saturday night in the capital, Bangkok. “We call upon both sides of Thailand’s political conflict to exercise restraint and allow reporters to do their jobs without fear of attack or reprisal,” said Bob Dietz,... MORE
A Thai criminal court decision has sentenced media owner, television commentator, and political activist Sondhi Limthongkul to two years in prison in connection with criminal libel charges filed by a former government minister. Sondhi posted 200,000 baht (US$5,882) bail and told courtroom reporters last thursday that he would appeal the conviction, according to local news reports. The court also handed down a one-year jail term to Khunthong Lorseriwanich, editor and publisher of Sondhi’s Thai... MORE
Distributors blocked the July 4-10 edition of the Economist from entering Thailand over an article that covered the mounting threat of lese majeste complaints to the country's Internet freedom and freedom of expression, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). This is the third time since December that distributors have opted not to distribute the British weekly newsmagazine because of concerns over its coverage of the monarchy, according to a distributor who spoke on condition... MORE
Lese majeste charges were filed Tuesday by a private citizen against board members of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT), according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Violations of lese majeste laws are a criminal offence in Thailand, punishable by three to 15 years in prison. The charges were filed by Laksana Kornsilpa, a translator and a sympathiser of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest movement that paved the way for the military ouster of former... MORE
Pages
