[ad_1]
Pro-democracy protesters make the three-finger salute in front of the Siam Paragon shopping center in Bangkok on October 20, 2020 (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)
Bangkok, Thailand – A Thai media outlet connected to former prime minister-in-exile Thaksin Shinawatra was ordered to shut down Tuesday for its coverage of the anti-government protests that have rocked the capital for nearly a week.
Voice TV, a website owned in part by Thaksin’s family, was one of four media organizations ordered to shut down due to their reports on the ongoing protest movement.
Thousands of protesters have gathered daily in the capital since last week, disobeying an emergency edict that bans gatherings of more than four people.
But they appeared to be taking a break on Tuesday, with only several hundred gathering at the usual protest venues.
The largely leaderless youth movement is calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former army chief and mastermind of a 2014 coup, as well as a new draft of the constitution written by the military that they say , rigged last year’s elections. in his favor.
They also call for the reform of the kingdom’s powerful and wealthy monarchy, a long-standing taboo subject.
Prayut on Tuesday accused the media of spreading false news.
“The freedom of the media is important, but in some cases, there are some media outlets that spread distorted information that incites unrest,” he said after a court order following a complaint from the Ministry of Digital Economy.
The media outlets ordered to close had published and disseminated material that “violated computer crime laws and the emergency decree,” the ministry said.
Voice TV executive Makin Petplai denied that his coverage had endangered national security.
“For 11 years, Voice TV has been committed to democracy, giving space to the opinions of people from all sides with openness, transparency and accountability to the facts,” it said in a statement on its website.
Voice TV political commentator Virot Ali said the station will continue to broadcast online until they receive the court’s written order.
“It is a direct interference from the state,” he told AFP.
“They have pointed us out because the state wants to dissuade the other platforms.”
The Thai Foreign Correspondents Club expressed deep concern that the Royal Thai Police were investigating Voice TV, along with Prachatai, The Reporters and The Standard.
All four media outlets have been broadcasting live images via Facebook during the protests.
“A free media is an essential element in any democratic society and journalists in good faith should be able to report on important events without the threats of bans, suspensions, censorship or prosecutions that weigh on them,” the club said.
Tuesday’s protests were much more low-key, with protesters gathered at train stations chanting “long live the people” while waving with the three fingers that has become a symbol of the movement.
“The order of the state to shut down the media is a great slap in the face to the people, it shows that the state considered that the people cannot make their own judgment,” Tatthep “Ford” Ruangprapaikitseri, 23, told AFP.
The court’s ruling comes a day after the Ministry of Economy and Digital Society said it had flagged more than 325,000 messages on social media platforms that violated the Cybercrime Law, which critics say is used to silence dissent. .
The hashtag #SaveFreePress was trending in Thailand on Monday.
The court has yet to announce a decision on whether to shut down the other three media outlets.
Read next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
