Krungthep Turakij wins top award

The articles, which exposed corruption in the scheme, hold a lot of significance because the government has already spent at least Bt450 billion on this controversial scheme. While the scheme has boosted the price of Thai rice, the real benefits have barely reached poor farmers. 

The Krungthep Turakij articles also helped raise questions about why the government withheld information on its plan to sell rice stored under the rice-pledging scheme via a government-to-government deal.

The Thai Journalists Association, the Isra Amantakul Foundation and the Thai Society of Environmental Journalists jointly organised a contest for news reports published last year, and the award was presented yesterday evening at a Bangkok hotel. The event also marked the Thai Journalist Day, which falls on March 5 every year. 

Two reports by Daily News have won honourable mention. One of them covered cheating in the police entrance exams and the other addressed graft in the procurements by a major education agency.  

The top prize for Best Photograph was taken by ASTV Weekly photographer Santi Tehpia, who captured a shot of a cameraman falling while trying to take a picture of red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan at the Criminal Court. This picture beat 80 other contenders. 

An image from The Nation’s cameraman Pakdee Sukperm won honourable mention. His photo showed a boy jumping in joy after winning a school admission lucky draw.