The Law Reform Commission of Thailand (LRCT), an independent state agency which promotes legal reforms, on Tuesday submitted a letter to Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, the National Reform Council (NRC), and National Legislative Assembly (NLA), on press freedom and freedom of expression.
In the statement, the LRCT suggested that the new constitution which is now being drafted under the junta must guarantee media freedom and freedom of expression.
Moreover, the state agency which controls public frequencies, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), should be regularly inspected by the Office of the Auditor General of Thailand every three months with its findings made public, added the LRCT.
The new constitution of Thailand must be formulated to be in line with democratic principles to allow people to participate in politics and criticise the government through information provided by the media, added the law reform agency.
The LRCT also mentioned that the provisions in the new constitution to make a criminal offence of ‘hate speech’ must be written in a manner that respects the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
In addition, Article 48 of the 2007 Constitution which prohibits politicians to hold shares in media outlets must be maintained.
Last week, the News Broadcasting Council of Thailand (NBCT), issued a statement urging Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to understand the role of the media and warned that the Prime Minister should not express anger over news reports if he does not want to be seen as a dictator.
The statement was issued after Gen Prayut expressed anger and threatened to summon Thapanee Ietsrichaion, a journalist from Channel 3, who reported on the plight of Thai workers who were tricked into working as slaves on Thai fishing boats in Indonesian waters.
