The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) is deeply embroiled in the ongoing circus of lese majeste accusations. Jonathan Head, the BBC correspondent in Bangkok and FCCT First Vice President, has long been singled out for attention. But now we hear that the entire FCCT board has been accused of insulting the Thai monarchy. The Nation and Manager both have useful reports, and there is some commentary at Bangkok Pundit and Political Prisoners in Thailand.
Where to begin?
It is worth emphasising that the board of the FCCT includes many of Thailand’s most prominent journalists. These are the people who help keep the world informed about developments in Thailand and neighbouring countries. They work under often difficult conditions and produce a steady stream of news and commentary that all of us rely on when trying to make sense of events.
Throughout Thailand’s difficult past few years the FCCT has admirably sought to provide a platform for a range of different perspectives on local issues. Publishing, and re-publishing, a largely positive account of King Bhumibol’s life has not precluded, say, the hosting of a press conference that launched a petition calling for the reform of the lese majeste law. The types of events and publications that the FCCT supports are surely in the best interests of a free society. In its own words the FCCT “advocates press freedom as a cornerstone of civil society in emerging democracies and is a vital venue for an open exchange of information.”
I’m confident that if push really comes to shove then the FCCT will be able to use its influence and prestige to defend members of its board against the lese majeste accusation. Nonetheless this episode is a serious escalation in Thailand’s internal war about the appropriate role of journalists and “foreigners”, more generally, in analysing Thai society.
If the goal of this lese majeste accusation is to stop critical commentary about the monarchy then, I’m afraid, it will likely have the opposite effect. In future reporting and analysis this episode will just be added to the long list of efforts that have already been made to silence non-conforming voices. It is also a sure money-bet that any further escalation in attacks on foreign journalists in Thailand will generate more ill-will. It may also encourage some of those who have been quite restrained in their commentary to reconsider their options.
It was, as I recall, a former Bangkok-based correspondent who penned The Economist’s explosive piece at the end of 2008. The last thing the Abhisit government really needs is for an exodus of well-credentialed and highly-experienced correspondents who — from the comfort and safety of London, or Singapore, or Sydney, or wherever — can continue explaining Thailand to the world.
I fail to see how this mass attack on journalists serves the interests of Thailand or, dare I say it, the palace. Prime Minister Abhisit could simplify things a great deal by limiting the scope for concerned citizens to make these very serious accusations. But if he is feeling really brave he could go even further and use this muddle-headed accusation as an opportunity to extricate his government from the clutches of those who have no time for free expression.
Now that would be something worth reporting.
11 responses so far ↓
1 WLH // Jul 2, 2009 at 6:19 pm
This escalation is necessary to push the LM circus into a full and revelatory crisis of absurdity and unsustainability. I very much hope that more narrow-minded monarchist conservatives bring even broader charges of LM against ever larger groups of individuals. Perhaps the entire PT party? The entire staff of Matichon? The million reds who might sign the Thaksin-pardon petition? Or better yet, the millions who voted for Thaksin in two elections. Charge them all with conspiring against the monarchy.
In fact, those who oppose LM should start a guerrilla campaign to file deliberately bizarre charges against random people. Charge all Thai Muslims, for refusing to accept the king’s religion. Charge all motorists for failing to stop their cars at 6pm when the anthem plays (the king wrote it, thus LM). For that matter, charge senator Manoonkrit for the 1981 coup that forced the king to flee from Bangkok. The list is endless.
2 dantampa // Jul 2, 2009 at 8:58 pm
“Prime Minister Abhisit could simplify things a great deal by limiting the scope for concerned citizens to make these very serious accusations. But if he is feeling really brave he could go even further and use this muddle-headed accusation as an opportunity to extricate his government from the clutches of those who have no time for free expression.”
Dream on. PM Opposite is great at talking the talk, largely to present a reformer’s image to the world, but walking the walk is another matter. He will say that he’s open to anything, but nothing happens or changes when the talk fades. That’s because he knows who pulled the strings to put him in power and who’s keeping him there. He is not about to reform himself out of the job. We dont call him PM Opposite for nothing.
3 Susie Wong // Jul 3, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Addition information fromThai E-News, important to this case.
กระฉ่อนโลกคนใกล้ชิดองคมนตรีแจ้งความคดีหมิ่น13นักข่าวต่างชาติ
โดย ทีมข่าวไทยอีนิวส์
1 กรกฎาคม 2552
มีรายงานว่าสำหรับนางสาวลักษณา กรณ์ศิลป ผู้ดำเนินคดีแจ้งความกับนายโจนาธาน เฮด และกรรมการสโมสรนักข่าวต่างประเทศทั้ง13รายนั้น ครอบครัวมีความใกล้ชิดกับนายธานินท์ กรัยวิเชียร นายกรัฐมนตรีสมัยหลังเหตุการณ์6ตุลาคม 2519 และองคมนตรี โดยเมื่อเร็วๆนี้นายธานินท์ เพิ่งมาเป็นประธานในการพระราชทานเพลิงศพมารดาของนางสาวลักษณาที่วัดแห่ง หนึ่งย่านบางนา โดยน้องชายคนหนึ่งของนางสาวลักษณาคือพันเอกกฤษฎากรณ์ กรณ์ศิลป เป็นนายทหารทำงานอยู่กับองคมนตรีธานินท์ ส่วนน้องชายอีกคนของเธอคือดร.นพดล กรณ์ศิลป เป็นล็อบบี้ยิ้สต์ให้กับพรรคชาติไทยพัฒนาของนายบรรหาร ศิลปอาชา
Translation:
Circulating Around the World that a person closed to Privy Council, filed lese majeste charge to 13 foreign journalists.
by Thai E-News Team
1st July 2009
It is reported that Ms. Laksana Kornsilp, who filed complaint against Mr. Jonathan Head and the other 13 executive boards of the Foreign Correspondence Club of Thailand, her family is a close friend of Mr. Thanin Kraivichien, former Prime Minister after the event of the 6th October, 1976. Recently, Mr. Thanin presided as the chief host for her mother’s funeral at a temple in Bang-na area. One of Ms. Laksana’s brother, Colonel Kritsadakorn Kornsilp, works for Mr. Thanin. Her younger brother, Dr. Noppadon Kornsilph is lobbyist for ChatThaiPattana Party of Mr. Banharn Silapa-archa.
4 Ralph Kramden // Jul 4, 2009 at 10:05 am
dantampa is right. Abhisit is hopelessly lost in these power plays that he seems incapable of comprehending. He’s not about to do anything unless his puppet masters direct him. And they use LM for their own political purposes.
5 Susie Wong // Jul 6, 2009 at 7:32 am
Extracted from Prachatai News:
“องค์กรสื่อระหว่างประเทศ แสดงความวิตกกังวลต่อกรณีสมาคมผู้สื่อข่าวต่างประเทศประจำประเทศไทยถูกฟ้องหมิ่นฯ
Mon, 2009-07-06 02:42
(The Southeast Asian Press Alliance -SEAPA) ซีได้ออกแถลงการณ์ แสดงความวิตกกังวลต่อกรณีการใช้กฎหมายหมิ่นพระบรมเดชานุภาพฟ้องร้องคณะ กรรมการสมาคมผู้สื่อข่าวต่างประเทศประจำประเทศไทย
โรบี้ อาลัมเปย์ ผู้อำนวยการซีป้ากล่าว และว่า “เราได้กล่าวไปแล้วและขอกล่าวอีกครั้งว่า กฎหมายหมิ่นพระบรมเดชานุภาพในระบบกฎหมายไทยนั้นต้องได้รับการทบทวนโดยสภา นิติบัญญัติและผู้นำของไทยต่อประเด็นที่มันถูกใช้ในการปิดกั้นและคุกคามสื่อ มวลชนในประเทศ”
Translation:
International Media Association Express Concern about the LM Charge against FCCT
The Southeast Asian Press Alliance – SEAPA, issued official statement expresses its concern and worry about the criminal charge by filing lese majeste law against the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Thailand – FCCT. Mr. Lupe Arlumpe, Director of SEAPA said, “We had already said, and we say it again that lese majeste law in the Thai law system must received a review from its Parliament and Thai leader about the issue that it has been used to block and intimidate mass media in the country.”
6 landofsnarls // Jul 6, 2009 at 10:00 pm
In an Economist article (04.07), which was responsible for yet another banning of their print edition, there is, in a reasonable coverage of the state-of-play re. LM, this interesting paragraph:
“The authorities are also going after webmasters for failing to delete offensive posts promptly enough. One, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, who runs Prachatai.com, a news website, was charged in April because her site carried a comment by one user which allegedly excoriated Queen Sirikit. Ms Chiranuch insists that she deleted the post when asked to by MICT. But Aree Jiworarak, an official at the ministry, says Ms Chiranuch should have spotted the post herself and is “responsible for what happens”. To her distress, Ms Chiranuch was forced to disclose private data that led police to the user, a Thai woman with the online name “Bento”, who was arrested and charged. Ms Chiranuch faces multiple counts that could, potentially, send her away for 50 years.”
See it at http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13962550
7 dancing the night away // Jul 7, 2009 at 3:51 am
Abhisit could simplify the entire thing by throwing Akbar Khan out of the country.
This single individual, based purely on personal resentment, is bringing low not only the reputation of Thailand but also making sure that every single commentator on the planet will now associate the Thai King with the oppression of freedom of speech using a law that the same Thai King has implied he is not happy with.
Akbar Khan is serving his own weird interests – purely and simply – at the expense of journalists, Thais and the reputation of a mostly benevolent king. He must be removed from the kingdom forthwith.
8 Marco // Jul 8, 2009 at 4:41 am
Akbar Khan, in another of his alleged aliases (as seen following links), is/was chief reporter at a newspaper down south. Why is it that the charge against Harry Ionides suddenly springs to mind!?!
9 landofsnarls // Jul 8, 2009 at 5:40 am
DTNA#7: First of all, there’s absolutely no concrete evidence that Abhisit wants to do anything about LM abuse (sweet-talk is not concrete evidence), in fact quite the opposite – he recently became Member No. 1 in a covert operation set up by his govt, in which Thai subjects above the age of 15 will be trained & sent out to spy on their workmates, neighbours, etc., reporting back to the Ministry of Thai Justice (if you see my point!) so that they can be dealt with. A major concern of this spyforce will be LM accusations.
Secondly, throwing the cretinous & sychophantic Akbar K out will not simplify the ‘entire thing,’ because it’s much bigger than the FCCT case, apalling as that is. A.K. is not the only accuser, by a long shot – he’s not even the accuser in the FCCT board case. A 57 year-old female rottweiller with stunning Thai fascist connections (thanks, Susie W #3) is the perpetrator of this current abuse. If you look around, you’ll find there are videos on You Tube & still photos of her on various Press & blog sites, formally submitting her accusation. And there are many other perpetrators, mostly Thais.
I feel that I should explain that the adjectives I append to Akbar’s name are due to my reading of his blogs, which are outstandingly artless, amateurish, misspelt, ungrammatical & vulgar, & may be found all over the place. There’s also a photo of him with his apparently, at the time, close friend, Mr Thaksin (Well, they both have big, leery smiles, so I’m assuming AK wants to give the message, ‘friends’.).
I must say I’m actually really pleased about the FCCT case. News of it has now gone out all over the world, showing everyone – at last! – what kind of ludicrous, self-involved, obsessive idiots run this country. As a sort of reverse-PR campaign, it’s magnificent. The timing & staging has so far been great. The Harry N debacle spread the word worldwide & made people sit up; then we had the Ji saga, & PM Opposite’s greasy Oxford visit, & the case of the student who wouldn’t stand up for the Anthem, & Sulak (Buddhist academic) being thrown into media coverage as further evidence of the spreading of moral idiocy. And now, they’ve declared war on the world’s FREE press. GREAT PUBLICITY! Brilliantly campaigned.
But, in the light of Thailand’s recent non-LM international media coverage (extortion of tourists by police; murders of tourists by police; the Santika fire & the behaviour of police & judiciary in that matter; the peculiarities of constitutional law in relation to the removal of 3 recent PMs and the miraculous metamorphosis of the former Leader of the fairly minor Opposition into PM; the invasion & hijacking of the houses of parliament & the international airport by insurgents with absolute impunity…) the country’s reputation would appear to be already at rock-bottom & therefore not in need of much further help in the direction of down.
The image of the Royals, the justice system, the Thai people & their entire culture is being most effectively ‘made over,’ from relatively positive to scarily negative – by the government, with this LM campaign. And it will stick. So – why? Why would they be sabotaging their own country ?
BTW, I’m not unduly concerned about the individuals on the FCCT board. They’re big enough & ugly enough to look after themselves, & no doubt provide the world with some damned good entertainment, and some pretty stirring articles, on the way. I don’t think it’ll get to court (the idiots will get cold feet), which will be a huge pity.
10 Frank G Anderson // Oct 21, 2009 at 10:15 am
It’s not just the government, of course. There are sychophants all over who are more than happy to jump on the lese majeste band wagon. They are the spearhead of a sharpened sense of illusory self-importance that members of Thai society ascribe to themselves, later in history molded out of the Divine virtues assigned to the king and then, amazingly enough, transposing those same virtues unto themselves.
11 Chris Beale // Oct 21, 2009 at 10:16 pm
It beats me why the Thai Royalist elite persist with these image-destroying LM laws. It makes Thailand look like some backward, fuedal state – somewhat akin to Saudi Arabia !!
(Remember that jewel case !!?).
Surely it would achieve everything they want, but appear more modern and sophisticated simply with Singapore-style defamation laws !
And remember – Thailand already has extremely onerous defamation laws.
Leave a Comment
Please note: New Mandala encourages vigorous debate. However, for the moment we will only be publishing high-quality comments that make original contributions to discussion. There will, of course, still be space for pithy, humorous, eccentric and cheeky input. Short and sweet will usually trump long and involved. Repetitive ranting, unimaginative point-scoring and idle abuse will not be entertained. Comments which carry a real name are also more likely to be approved. Thank you for your ongoing interest and contributions.