Five reasons why media won’t name hi-so suspects
Re: “Lo-so suspects named, but media kowtows to hi-so suspects”, Have Your Say, yesterday.
Much as I agree and commiserate with the plaintive cries of your bloggers, I can think of five reasons why the media can’t name hi-so suspects: 1) criminal defamation law, 2) civil defamation law, 3) computer crime law, 4) lese-majeste law, and 5) the fact that the hi-so suspects have accrued so much ill-gotten wealth that they can sue the pants off anyone who says “Boo” to them. The lower “so’s” just don’t have the resources.
We saw what happened to media outlet Phuketwan for “defaming” the Thai Navy, and to Pai Dao Din, who has been languishing in prison for “sharing” a BBC article. These cases follow the long-standing Thai tradition of “shoot the messenger” – the individuals were doing no more than simply relaying news that was freely available on the rest of the planet.
Blogger “Scorecard” says “So much for media reform”. It is not media reform that’s needed, it is legal reform on freedom of speech. Until that happens, which it manifestly won’t under the present regime, there will be times when our “messengers” – the media and concerned individuals – will have to keep their heads below the parapet in order to avoid getting shot.
Nigel Pike
Phang Nga
