NBTC suspends Peace TV ahead of referendum
THE BROADCASTING licence of the satellite channel Peace TV, which is linked to the red shirts, will be suspended for one month starting July 10 ahead of the upcoming national referendum on the new constitution.
The suspension is the second punishment meted out in less than two years to the controversial channel, which was ruled to have violated the rules of the National Broadcasting and Telecommuni-cations Commission (NBTC) and junta orders.
According to NBTC deputy secretary-general Pakdee Manaves, Peace TV’s licence suspension follows the airing of three TV programmes in March that violated the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s announcements No 97 and 103.
The NBTC panel also concluded that Peace TV’s content breached a memorandum of understanding with the NBTC, Section 37 of the Operation of the Sound Broadcasting Service and the Television Broadcasting Service Act BE 2551 (2008).
Peace TV’s licence was also suspended in April last year when the regulator said it breached the orders of the junta as well as broadcasting panel rules. Operations resumed in July the same year following a Central Administrative Court injunction order.
Yesterday morning, a group of Peace TV employees led by TV host Weng Tojirakarn and station executive Anantasak Khamkao submitted a petition to the NBTC’s Broadcasting Committee to review the suspension order.
Weng, who is a leader of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), commonly known as red shirts, said the licence revocation was unfair.
He said the station would tomorrow seek an injunction order from the Central Administrative Court because its business has been severely damaged by the licence suspension.
The station employs 130 staff and provides content via satellite and online platforms. It will continue broadcasting on media such as YouTube and Facebook, so no staff lay-offs are expected.
Supinya Klangnarong, a member of the NBTC’s Broadcasting Committee, said earlier that the NBTC subcommittee overseeing TV content and programming had invited representatives of the NCPO, National Human Rights Commission and the Council of State to clarify the case.
