Foreign diplomats ask Thai media to respect social norms
Ambassadors of European Union countries and Japan on Wednesday submitted a letter to media associations, calling them to do everything in their power to encourage media outlets to respect the feelings of families of the victims.
The letter was signed by ambassadors of 21 countries, mostly European countries as well as Japan. “As ambassadors we have, on several occasions, had to plead with media to respect the privacy of tourists and their families. In particular, it is very distressing to see details of the passports of those who have lost their lives posted on media websites and social media. These contain personal information and add no value to any news story,” read the letter.
Thepchai Yong, president of Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, received the letter on behalf of the assocations.
They cited the recent example of the Koh Tao murders in which two British nationals were brutally killed. “Families should be left to grieve at a time of emotional distriess rather than be subject to media harassment,” the letter said..
“Nor does anyone gain from seeing graphic pictures. We can only imagine how distressing this is for the families of those who have lost their loved ones here in Thailand.”
