Red-shirt TV channel suspended again
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) on Monday ordered a15-day suspension of the broadcasting licence of Peace TV, a satellite-based station run by red-shirt leaders.
The suspension, one of several for the station, was linked to Peace TV’s broadcasts last October, when it it hosted a programme from in front of Bangkok Special Prison, where red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan is detained.
Key red-shirt figure Thida Thavronseth said the NBTC had reasoned that the programme’s interviews of visitors to Jatuporn could “politically instigate the public”.
Peace TV has been temporarily suspended at least three times by the military-dominated NBTC. During these suspensions, the channel has relied on online channels to continue broadcasting its content.
“Would the NBTC want all people in this country to hold the same political ideology?” Thida asked on Facebook Live. “We’ll always be at risk of being shut down unless we shift our political stance, which we won’t do.”