CNN crew not deported or banned from Thailand over Nong Bua report
The CNN crew whose crime-scene report of Thursday’s Nong Bua Lamphu massacre angered many have not been barred from entering Thailand in the future.
The two-member crew was detained in Udon Thani for questioning after being accused of trespassing at the nursery, where 24 toddlers were killed.
National police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas and his deputy Surachet Hakphan questioned them on Saturday morning.
Surachet said the pair arrived in Thailand from Hong Kong on Thursday, the day of the mass killing. They entered the crime scene on Friday between 10.30am and noon. They told police that the nursery gate was open and crime scene tape removed. They said they saw seven to 10 people inside and asked for permission to enter, though acknowledged there might have been a miscommunication.
Police also found that village health volunteers had granted the crew permission to enter despite having no authority over the crime scene.
Surachet said the CNN pair had not disturbed evidence but would be fined 5,000-10,000 baht for arriving in Thailand on tourist visas instead of media visas.
Both had admitted to working in Thailand illegally and their visas had been cancelled. The two reporters accepted the fines and could leave Thailand voluntarily, police said.
