Prayut must raise his sights

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was incensed over a recent investigative report by a respected journalist on the fate of Thai fishermen on Indonesia’s Benjina Island. Channel 3’s “Three Dimension News” programme found that some 400-500 Thai fishermen were languishing in jail there. Some had died behind bars.
Many of the prisoners are undocumented migrants caught working on fishing trawlers in Indonesian waters. Abandoned by their governments or prevented from returning to their homeland by legal red tape, many have passed away and been buried on the island.
In journalistic terms, this is a strong story with a “human face”, and Channel 3 reporter Thapanee Ietsrichai should be commended for her courageous work.
But the prime minister thinks differently. Upset with reporters’ questions at Government House about what his government has been doing to tackle this issue, Prayut decided to turn the tables and shift the focus to the journalist behind the story.
Instead of praising her work and perhaps giving assurances that his government was doing something to alleviate the plight of the fishermen, Prayut asked whether the reporter would take responsibility if foreign buyers decided to boycott Thailand’s fishing industry, which generates about Bt200 billion annually.
He told reporters that his government had helped 26 people stranded on the island and argued that previous administrations had ignored the problem.
He said that global positioning systems (GPS) are being installed on all Thai trawlers so that authorities can monitor their movements. The move is meant to combat illegal fishing, a longstanding problem in this region that accounts for many of the Thai nationals currently languishing in foreign jails.
But the prime minister also urged the Channel 3 team to tone down their coverage of this issue, which reflects an outdated and autocratic mindset.
Prayut needs to be reminded that the reporter was just doing her job. By exposing irregularities, she and her team made it more likely that something will be done to help the Thai workers caught in this legal limbo.
For too long Thai policymakers have turned a blind eye to humanitarian issues, thinking they would somehow go away and that everything would be fine. When they are finally confronted with such injustices, they lose their cool.
Besides accusing the journalist of being irresponsible for overlooking the possible knock-on effect her report could have on the Thai fishing industry, Prayut had the gall to ask what she would say if he admitted he was unable to resolve this issue.
No one was sure whether he had a point to make, or was just mumbling away because he didn’t know what else to say.
But, as the old saying goes, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Channel 3 was doing its job. It’s time that the government did likewise. Huffing and puffing about important issues helps no one.
What it does do is invite embarrassment among members of the world community, who witness a national leader getting upset and floundering over a news report that not only revealed the authorities’ shortcomings but also exposed a humanitarian issue that needs to be addressed.
People close to the premier should have the courage to inform him that, if anything, his reaction was damaging to the country’s international standing.
Prayut was correct to say that journalists must be held responsible for their reports. But there was nothing to suggest that the report violated either journalistic ethics or the editorial policy of Channel 3.
If the prime minister is so concerned about the Thai fishing industry then he should do whatever he can to ensure that it operates properly and in line with the law.
It is absurd to blame the messenger when the real problem lies with the industry itself and the authorities who oversee it. Both have failed to look after Thai fishermen, upon whose slave-like labour one of the country’s most lucrative industries rests.