Blank spaces replace NYT report on Thai economy
THE International New York Times said its printer in Thailand removed a piece on the moribund state of the Kingdom's economy in yesterday's edition, forcing the edition to carry blank spaces, including on the cover.
This is the second time in the last 10 weeks that the paper has said its local printer declined to run an article in this country, where media freedoms have been increasingly curtailed since last year’s military takeover.
Yesterday’s newspaper was supposed to carry a report headlined “Thai economy and spirits are sagging”, a wide-ranging piece exploring the junta’s inability to kick-start the flagging economy and the disappointment felt among many ordinary Thais.
Instead chunks of the front page and page 6 were blank and carried the sentence: “The article in this space was removed by our printer in Thailand. The International New York Times and its editorial staff had no role in its removal.”
A spokeswoman for the paper gave the same reply when asked for comment.
Eastern Printing, the paper’s Thai printer, did not comment on why it pulled the piece. The article was still accessible online in Thailand.
On September 22, Eastern Printing did not publish the entire newspaper because the Asia edition featured a detailed front-page article on His Majesty the King’s health.
However, yesterday’s piece primarily centred on the sputtering economy.
Thailand has one of the lowest economic growth rates in Southeast Asia and the junta’s vow to reinvigorate the economy has shown little progress in a country blighted by high household debt, low consumer confidence and disappointing exports.
Meanwhile, the government and the ruling military yesterday denied acknowledging the censorship. Government spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd told The Nation that the Cabinet did not refer to the censorship during its weekly meeting.
Colonel Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the National Council for Peace and Order, said the junta had not received a report on the matter.
Last month the International New York Times said it would stop printing in Thailand altogether by the end of this year because of rising production costs.
The newspaper is still available in six other Southeast Asian nations: Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar.
