More clamp downs on Thai press

[buksida]

Breaking news:

The Criminal Court Thursday issued a gag order on Sondhi Limthongkul, the owner of The Manager, as well as all of his publications from criticising Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The gag order was based on a criminal defamation suit filed against Sondhi by Thaksin’s lawyers Thursday.

Thaksin’s lawyers asked the court to issue an injunction to prevent Sondhi from making further damages to Thakin pending the trial of the case.

The gag order was issued against Sondhi and 11 other associates. The publications under the ban included Thai Day, The Manager daily and his electronic media, such as video CDs, and Internet publication.

The gag order came just a day before Sondhi holds his weekly talk show, Thailand Weekly, at Lumpini Park on Friday.

Sondhi always criticised Thaksin during the weekly talk show, which is broadcast live through his satellite TV channel and his The Manage Web site (www.manager.co.th).

But The Manager Web site announced through its breaking news that it had learnt from a well-informed source in the Cat Telecom Plc that access to the site would be blocked starting Friday.

Earlier, the Public Relations Department has ordered cable TV stations in provinces not to relay feeds from Sondhi’s satellite TV channel.

Source: The Nation

Story for Thai readers can be found on Manager Online

Welcome to Myanmar

[buksida]

THAKSIN VS SONDHI: Gagged!

Published on November 18, 2005

Sondhi Limthongkul of Manager Media Group, a sharp-tongued critic of Thaksin Shinawatra, was served a Civil Court order yesterday, requiring him to stop criticising the prime minister immediately.

The injunction is pending a court trial on Thaksin’s libel suits against Sondhi.

Thana Benjathikul, the premier’s principal lawyer in the libel suits against Sondhi and related parties, warned the controversial media figure that he could face a jail term if he refused to abide by the court’s order.

As a result of the injunction, the Manager Media Group’s popular news web-site, currently visited by more than 100,000 Thai web surfers on a daily basis, would be effectively gutted, given that much of its content is critical of the premier.

“We’re not restricting mass media freedom, but we want to make sure that the premier’s reputation is not further damaged by libellous statements,” the lawyer said.

Dussadee Sinjermsiri, director-general of the Public Relations Department, also told all provincial cable TV operators to stop airing Sondhi’s highly-controversial weekly TV shows, or else risk seeing their contracts suspended.

Attorney Thana also said the court order served to Sondhi covers another nine defendants named in libel suits, including Thai Day Dotcom Co as well as the Manager Daily newspaper. All these parties are barred from further disseminating Sondhi’s criticisms of Thaksin via newspapers, television shows, video discs or the Internet .

The court is scheduled to hold its first hearing on the libel suits on February 8. In one of the suits, Bt1 billion in compensation is being demanded from Sondhi and his company for damaging the premier’s reputation with an accusation that a multibillion-baht satellite contract had been awarded illegitimately by the government to a company controlled by Thaksin’s family.

Meanwhile, Suraphong Seubwonglee, chief government spokesman, said that there had been no government order to shut down the Manager Group’s news web-site, as was being widely speculated.

The web-site, which has been reporting an average of 115,000 UIPs per day, is currently the country’s most popular source for news. “We’re not going to do that [shut down the site] because that would further politicise ongoing issues,” Suraphong said.

Bundit Wongwattanasin, managing director of Internet Solution and Service Co, which hosts www.manager.co.th, said he had received no official order to block the site.

“Previously, we have shut down web-sites that carry content seen as lese majeste, threatening to national security, or to be in contempt of religious beliefs, or that had a connection to the narcotics trade and the like. They will be shut down as soon as we get an official order.

“But in the case of manager.co.th, we’re not sure which agency has the authority. I think it’s probably the court. Secondly, we could be sued by the client if the site is shut down illegally,” Bundit said.

However, a key member of the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party who asked not to be named said the premier’s lawyer had asked the court to bar the Manager group’s web-site from disseminating libellous accusations against the prime minister.

Suranand Vejjajiva, the PM’s Office minister, said he had ordered the Public Relations Department to take action against provincial cable TV operators who fail to abide by the law. “I’ve received many complaints about the controversial TV shows. Everyone has to abide by the law otherwise I’d be abusing my authority,” he said.

Yesterday’s concerted court and government actions against Manager Group’s Sondhi seemed to have come hot on the heels of a senior military officer’s request for the Manager newspaper founder to stop referring to the monarchy in his conflicts with Thaksin.

In a letter signed by Maj-General Prin Suwannathat, commander of the 1st Infantry Division of the Royal Guard, Sondhi was told that he had inappropriately cited the monarchy while attacking Thaksin.

Source: The Nation

I notice the Bangkok Post are not giving this much coverage ... I wonder why.

[Norseman]

Everybody who oppose Mr. Thaksin is apparently a threat to the national security. The Thai Rak Thai Party must have forgotten that are supposed to be a political party, not a kind of junta or absolute government.
After their last election landslide they have changed into that disgusting direction.

A question to Lev.; What about HHAD? Are we in trouble writing of this subject?
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I intend to live forever -- so far, so good.

[lomuamart]

I'm gagging for some more news
Not funny really. Very sinister and a severe blow to Thailand. Unfortunately, I can only think there's worse to come.
"A survey" was carried out over the past couple of days by a BKK university asking how the Thai people felt about the freedom of the press in this country. I think it was 31% thought it was below standard. Dosn't say a lot for the other 69%, does it?
Bung them a few water buffaloes up country and they're as happy as sand boys in s**t.
Slightly off topic, but has everyone been following the decision by The BBC World Service to cease broadcasting in Thai? Reasons given are cost cutting, political apathy in the country and lack of press freedom.
Says it all really. Where do the Thais go now for fairly unbiased reporting?(Ok, I appreciate that most country folk wouldn't have been listening anyway). Still, another nail in the coffin.
Apparantly, there's a petition doing the internet rounds to try to make The Corporation change its mind.
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"I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars - the rest I just squandered". George Best.

[buksida]

I think that's the crux of the problem, Toxin has his vote base which consists primarily of the poor regions of Issan. Give them a couple of dollars each and they'll sign anything.

The educated people and business owners of the big cities are now starting to find out truth but they don't number enough to make a stand. This is gradually changing though and people like Sondhi are spreading awareness which can only be a good thing.

It does make you wonder if the government are making efforts to improve education in Thailand or do they want to keep it a peasant dominated farm country that they can run like they own.

[Jaime]