PM's aide Suranand denies media interference

Responding to Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut’s charge that he had interfered to prevent USA Today interviewing Abhisit, Suranand said that it was a US public relations firm, rather than a media organisation, that had contacted him for the interview. The firm had wanted to interview prominent people in government and the private sector about the economy, he added, explaining that the resulting article would appear as a supplementary publication for a US newspaper. 

Suranand said the aim of the article was to promote Thailand, rather than to air political views. The PR company had also asked him to fact-check the content, he said.