NBTC delays move on Thaksin broadcast
The broadcasting committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has postponed its decision on what action should be taken over the appearance of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Channel 11 until its next meeting
On Sunday night, the fugitive ex-prime minister appeared on state-controlled media when he presided over the opening of a Thai-boxing programme televised live from Macau.
The appearance has become a heated issue, with the NBTC pressured to take action as the official broadcast regulator. The commission’s subcommittee on TV programming and content yesterday decided to put this matter on the agenda of the board meeting of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee.
However, Natee Sukonrat, chairman of that committee, said the watchdog wanted to make sure it had enough information before making a decision or launching any action against the Public Relations Department, the operator of NBT (commonly known as Channel 11), which televised the event.
Without sufficient data and evidence, the committee had to drop this proposal and assign its subcommittee on TV programming and content to seek further information related to the live broadcast of the opening ceremony of a Thai-boxing programme, and on the details of a subcontract between the NBT and its contractors.
Natee added that this issue was considered a sensitive one among Thais. The subcommittee on TV programming and content would be able to resubmit this proposal with full details at the board meeting of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee on Monday, January 7.
Meanwhile, Supinya Klangnarong, an NBTC commissioner, said that at the coming meeting, she would propose that the broadcasting committee further extend the implementation of new regulations on subleasing airtimes of digital terrestrial TV broadcasting channels for TV production houses, covering existing analog terrestrial TV channels.
Early this week, the broadcasting committee wound up public hearings on this draft regulation. The committee needs to revise and submit it for the NBTC’s approval before it is published in the Royal Gazette early next year.
