Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has said he has asked Thai police to review a court decision to suspend an online TV station critical of the government, which has accused it of violating emergency measures aimed at ending three months of protests.
Voice TV had also been found to have breached the Computer Crime Act by uploading “false information,” digital ministry spokesman Putchapong Nodthaisong told reporters on Oct. 20.
Thailand has drawn criticism from rights groups for banning demonstrations and the publication of news seen as damaging by the government as it tries to end the protests against Prayuth and the powerful monarchy.
Rittikorn Mahakhachabhorn, editor-in-chief of Voice TV, said it would continue broadcasting until the court order arrived.
“We insist that we have been operating based on journalistic principles and we will continue our work presently,” he said.
However, after the court order Prayuth said that a free press is an important part of Thai society.
“I ask that police officers to review the order of suspending the broadcast by considering the press’ rights and freedom as a priority with the exception of those spreading fake news or distorting information, crossing the line, or violating the legal rights of others,” Prayuth said via his Facebook page.
Thai officials earlier said that three other media organizations are under investigation.
Voice TV is owned in part by the Shinawatra family of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck, who was overthrown by Prayuth in a 2014 coup. Both fled Thailand to escape corruption cases they branded political.
Street protests since mid-July are the biggest challenge in decades to the monarchy under King Maha Vajiralongkorn and to Prayuth, who rejects accusations of engineering an election last year to keep power.
The demonstrations have been largely led by youths and students in contrast with a decade of street violence between supporters of Thaksin and conservative royalists before Prayuth seized power.
Protests have only gained momentum since the government announced a ban last week and arrested dozens of protesters, including many of the main leaders.
A lawyer for two of them, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, said they would be arrested again on Oct. 20 as soon as they had been freed on bail granted by a court over earlier charges related to the protests.
Prime Minister Prayuth has said he will not quit in the face of the protests.
His cabinet agreed on Oct. 20 to hold an emergency session of parliament next week about the crisis. Prayuth’s supporters hold a majority in the parliament, whose upper house was named entirely by his former junta.
This article was updated as the story developed.
With Reuters.
- Commentary – Thailand Protests: Yesterday Once more
“What’s going on isn’t new, it’s just something from the same old, unimaginative sewers of Thai politics.”
