PM ‘urges caution’ in interviews

PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha has cautioned civil servants about giving any interviews to scandal-hit TV news host Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda, a source close to the prime minister disclosed yesterday. 

The scandal came to Prayut’s attention after Revenue Department director-general Prasong Poontaneat appeared on TV with Sorrayuth on Tuesday, a day after a court verdict. 

It was later revealed that the interview was recorded before the Criminal Court on Monday convicted Sorrayuth of bribery and causing Bt138 million damages to MCOT, the operator of Channel 9 television station. The court also sentenced Sorrayuth to 13 years and four months in jail.

“The prime minister wants to send a signal to all civil servants that they should exercise good judgement in giving interviews to the media, particularly those facing scrutiny over ethical issues,” the source said. 

Sorrayuth, who was granted bail, has vowed to appeal against the verdict and is continuing to host news programmes for Channel 3 television station. Channel 3 operator Bangkok Entertainment Co (BEC) has announced that it will stand by Sorrayuth unless the final court ruling finds him guilty. 

The source close to Prayut, however, said civil servants were expected to serve as good examples to others when it came to good governance and ethics. 

“The government, after all, has a firm policy against corruption,” he said. 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he hinted that government agencies should also rethink the habit of tuning in to Channel 3 all day. 

“We won’t issue any circular on this. But we hope all government officials and all government agencies know what is appropriate,” he said. 

Meanwhile, National Reform Steering Assembly member Khunying Dr Porntip Rojanasunan announced yesterday that she would ask the assembly to address ethical issues regarding the media urgently. 

Today, four self-regulatory media organisations will also jointly hold a seminar on “Society under Media Scrutiny; Media under Social Scrutiny, the Challenges on Ethical Path” in the wake of the Sorrayuth scandal.

Meanwhile, MCOT has urged the management of Channel 3 to reconsider its decision to continue to air Sorrayuth’s show. 

“This is our standing point on behalf of the state media enterprise that grants the broadcasting concession contract to Bangkok Entertainment Company to operate Channel 3 station. We are sending a written notice to the BEC management, asking them to reconsider their stance on this issue,” Sivaporn Chomsuvan, president of MCOT, told The Nation yesterday.

The notice is expected to reach Channel 3 today. In the letter, MCOT expresses concern about the impacts on transparency, accountability and good governance if Channel 3 continues to support Sorrayuth after his conviction. 

An insider in the media industry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Channel 3’s plan on airing Sorrayuth’s three TV shows would remain unchanged this month because advertisers booked their slots a month in advance. However, the budget allocation for those programmes would be witnessed in April under new bookings. 

“Most companies listed in the Stock Exchange of Thailand and financial institutions and banks appear to be concerned about good governance if they still continue to support the programmes,” the source added. 

However, media agencies yesterday clarified that they wanted to be neutral in this matter. 

According to a statement by the Media Agency Association of Thailand (MAAT) signed by chairwoman Wannee Rattanaphon, all media agencies will continue to maintain business ethics as well as good governance among their priorities. 

The MAAT members will ensure impartial coverage without any influence on decision-making by either advertisers or corporates in this regard. All brands and corporates base their decisions, in fact, on the efficiency of advertising investment and the popularity of each TV programme (TV rating) as well as targeted viewer segments.