Thai PBS employees challenge policy panel over qualification of new director-general
A group of employees at Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) have questioned the transparency of the selection process for their new chief, calling for further clarification from the Thai PBS policy committee.
Employee representatives yesterday submitted a letter to the chairman and other members of the policy committee and selection panel, seeking further explanation on the selection process and appointment of Krissada Raungarreerat as the new director-general of Thailand’s oldest public broadcasting service.
In the letter, Thai PBS staff questioned whether the successful candidate met the necessary qualifications for the post.
Section 32 (3) of Thai PBS Act BE 2551 (2008), which deals directly with the director-general’s qualifications, says the candidate "shall have knowledge, skill or experience in radio or television broadcasting or mass communications". The employees expressed concerns that the successful candidate’s qualifications may not match those specified by the act.
Salary and benefits
On January 14, two-thirds of the nine-member Thai PBS policy committee voted Krissada in as the new director-general. He will soon be invited to negotiate his salary and related benefits before an official appointment.
Krissada, 50, was among five candidates for the position, the selection for which began on October 26. He had been working as a manager of Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) since 2010 and, according to the committee, had proven himself in tasks related to branding and marketing communications.
In a previous statement, Krissada said Thai PBS under his administration would be more than just a TV station. He said it would raise its capacity to help mobilise society to a higher and better level, particularly in terms of consumer protection amid the rapidly changing media landscape.
However, some staff questioned whether there was sufficient reason to put him in charge of Thai PBS. The group sought further clarification on how their organisation as well as the public interest would benefit from the appointment.
The group said it wanted assurance of the accountability and transparency of the hiring process, as it meant a new direction for the public TV station under the administration of a new chief.
Thai PBS is financed by taxes on tobacco and alcohol amounting to Bt2 billion annually.
