Home

Licence to kill – special report on violence against media during recent Bangkok unrest

Fri, 09/07/2010 - 06:39 | by prachatai
Reporters Without Borders

As a commission specially created by the Thai government will be investigating the violent clashes between the security forces and Red Shirts in April and May 2010, Reporters Without Borders is releasing a report on 10 serious violations of press freedom and the safety of journalists.

Reporters Without Borders decided to let the victims and witnesses of the violations speak for themselves. Some of their accounts clearly show that Thai soldiers put civilian non-combatants, including journalists, in mortal danger and respected no rule of engagement. Similarly, armed activists within the Red Shorts were guilty of unacceptable acts of violence against the press.

Among its recommendations, Reporters Without Borders urges the authorities to publish the final reports on the deaths of journalists Hiroyuki Muramoto and Fabio Polenghi as soon as possible. Opposing the continuation of the state of emergency, the organisation also calls on the government to stop censoring media, especially news websites that are being blocked.

http://en.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/REPORT_RSF_THAILAND_Eng.pdf

Source: 

http://en.rsf.org/thailand-report-on-violence-against-media-08-07-2010,3...

Tags:

Comments

#11667 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 09/07/2010 - 08:14

Thanks for the link.

Thanks for the link.

#11668 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 09/07/2010 - 08:38

...the systematic

...the systematic intimidation and the use of military force to suppress political protests are all evidence of serious abuses...

The systematic intimidation and the use of military force to suppress political protests is business as usual in Thailand. What does that say about the system of government in Thailand?

An independent enquiry that includes international experts is necessary... Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva must give much broader powers and more resources to the commission of enquiry...

I didn't notice any international experts on former Democrat Attorney General Kanit's "team"... did you? Former Democrat AG Kanit said "We do not have an obligation to name the culprits". I read this morning that all the "resources" are going to the Anand/Prawase "reform" panels... for three years! And the government and the panels will be like In and Chan, according to Anand.

Reporters Without Borders urges United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to ensure that UN agencies are involved in this investigation into the violence in Thailand, which has just been elected president of the UN Human Rights Council.

That's a good idea! Will it happen?..

Taking advantage of the imposition of a state of emergency, the authorities, above all the Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), censored news websites such as Prachatai.

Asked about this, foreign ministry spokesman Thani said the government accorded a great deal of importance to press freedom but “the circumstances called for media responsibility."

The responsibility of the media is to the people, not to the government.

"All governments lie."
-- Izzy Stone

#11669 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 09/07/2010 - 09:01

RSF: In your view, why is

RSF:
In your view, why is the CRES blocking Prachatai?
Prachatai:
I think it is part of the efforts by the CRES to prevent access to news and information that could encourage the population to question the information that the government and the CRES have been providing about the political and social situation.

Encouraging the population to question the information the government provides about the political and social situation... about the weather!.. is a journalist's job description.

See Izzy Stone's quote above.

#11670 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 09/07/2010 - 09:09

The leaders of the Red

The leaders of the Red Shirts, who no longer consisted solely of Thaksin supporters, launched a plan for the occupation of Bangkok and civil disobedience throughout the country in April 2010. The political revolt turned into rioting and urban guerrilla warfare.

The government declared war on the protestors, attacked them, and rioting ensued.

Armed groups, known as “men in black,” used force to destabilise the government.

Some armed men killed other armed men. No one destabilised the goverment... the government has massacred and crushed its opposition!

The authorities began describing the movement as “terrorist” in May. Most of its leaders are now in prison and most of their news media (especially the websites) have been censored. But the Puea Thai party, which supports the Red Shirts and Thaksin, could easily win again if general elections are held.

Who knows who would win... I think the government would surely lose!

#11671 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 09/07/2010 - 09:25

Chandler Vandergrift There

Chandler Vandergrift
There were shots and explosions, and the soldiers pulled back for around five minutes. Then members of the special forces arrived. They had better weapons. I have no memory of what happened next, but other journalists, both Thai and foreign journalists, have told me that I was injured by M79 grenades thrown from the top of the Chulalongkorn Hospital building, from where radical Red Shirt demonstrators were operating. I was under a tree. Two soldiers near me were also injured...

The irony of this story is that before this incident, I had been critical of the violence by the army but I was injured by grenades thrown by Red Shirts! It was a group of Red Shirts dressed in black. I am now pretty sure they were professional soldiers because they were using weapons of war.

It is clear the grenades were thrown by soldiers. It is not clear that they were Red Shirts.

#11672 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 09/07/2010 - 09:31

A foreign bureau chief From

A foreign bureau chief
From what my colleagues and I observed, we are inclined to think that the Thai army’s rules of engagement allowed the soldiers to fire on any civilians in the Red Shirt zone, not just those who were armed. I saw many unarmed Red Shirt demonstrators killed or wounded by shots fired by soldiers. We were unable to obtain any comments from army officers on this rules of engagement issue.
Former Democrat Attorney General Kanit na Nakon
We do not have an obligation to name the culprits
#11673 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 09/07/2010 - 09:38

Chaiwat Pumpuang I can say I

Chaiwat Pumpuang
I can say I was deliberately targeted. When the soldiers attacked, I was too far from the group of demonstrators for one to be able to claim it was accidental. The soldiers probably did not want me to take photos.

Why did the "heroes" of 15 April not want photos taken? They well knew they were not heroes... they were assassins.

#11674 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 09/07/2010 - 09:44

Recommendations to the United

Recommendations to the United Nations secretary-general
  1. On the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1738, prepare a detailed report on the violence against the press during the recent events in Thailand.
  2. As soon as possible obtain an invitation from the Thai authorities for the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Extra-judicial or summary, arbitrary executions are and have been a Thai government specialty for many years. The government had some ground to make up on suppressing freedom of opinion and expression but it is now a "front-runner" in that field as well.