Journalists' association, lawyers' council to help fight NBTC libel charge
The Thai Journalists Association (TJA) and the Lawyers Council of Thailand are ready to step in to help a scholar and a TV anchor defend themselves against a defamation charge filed by four members of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commi
Pradit Ruengdit, president of the TJA, said yesterday during a joint press conference with the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) and the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) that the lawsuit could affect the work of academics and the media in scrutinising the performance of the regulator.
Last week, four of the five telecom panel members – Settapong Malisuwan, Suthiphon Taveechaiyagarn, Prasert Silphiphat and Sukit Khamasundara – together with the NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasit jointly filed the defamation case against Deunden Nikomborirak, a researcher at the TDRI, and Natta Komolwatin, a news anchor at Thai PBS.
The allegation refers to Deunden’s comments in some newspapers and on a Thai PBS television programme, of which Natta was the moderator, about the NBTC’s interim measures to maintain uninterrupted service for TrueMove and Digital Phone Co subscribers after the two operators’ concessions end on September 15.
The interim measure allows the two cellular operators and their concession owner CAT Telecom to continue serving these users for one more year after the expiry date of the 1,800-megahertz spectrum.
On Wednesday, Settapong, chairman of the telecom committee, denied that the legal action was intended to intimidate scholars and the media, and said it had been pursued to defend the dignity of the regulator.
Yesterday, the TJA and Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of the TDRI, expressed concern that the four panel members had turned so quickly to the courts instead of debating the issue, which is the normal course of action when an academic takes a critical position.
Malee Boonsirisampan, chairman of the policy committee of Thai PBS, said she was shocked by the criminal action, as the broadcaster is a public medium set up to provide information to Thai people.
"We always present all angles of news to Thais, we are open to all, but it seems that the NBTC has decided to threaten us rather than clarify the information," Malee said.
Visut Komwatcharapong, president of the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, said this was not a corruption issue but was about a media process to report information to the public. The NBTC should withdraw the case and opt to clarify all information instead.
