November 10, 2009
Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor
Times Online (UK)
The Thai government has banned an interview in The Times with the ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and warned that its security agencies will take “appropriate actions” against any media organisations that report his remarks about the country’s royal family.
A spokesman for Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Prime Minister, warned journalists not to report the contents of the interview and hinted that the Government would use the country’s draconian lèse-majesté law, which imposes sentences of up to 12 years in jail for insulting the king or his family.
Internet users in Thailand said last night that it was impossible to access the news article, in which Thaksin spoke of his hopes for his country after the death of the revered King, Bhumibol Adulyadej. It is not clear whether this is a result of censorship but the Ministry of Information routinely blocks web pages that are deemed to contain information unflattering to the monarchy.
According to the Bangkok Post, Thepthai Senpong, Mr Abhisit’s spokesman, said that “the comments in the interview were offensive to the royal institution”. He added that the ruling Democrat Party would recommend “appropriate action” by the Government and security agencies against media that report the interview.
“I would like to say that Thaksin’s interview violates the monarchy, which is the country’s main institution,” Kasit Piromya, the Thai Foreign Minister, told reporters in Bangkok. “I wonder what the hidden agenda was that caused him to make this inappropriate move. In his interview, there are several parts referring to His Majesty the King, the Crown Prince and the monarchy, and [they] also refer to His Majesty’s role in politics.”
He said that the Justice Ministry would consider whether to charge Thaksin with lèse-majesté on top of the two-year prison sentence imposed upon him in absentia for a land deal transacted during his five years as Prime Minister.
The controversy over the interview focuses on Thaksin’s remarks about Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. He emphasised his loyalty to King Bhumibol, who has been in hospital for seven weeks but spoke of his hopes for a lesspoliticised royal palace after the king’s passing.
Mr Thaksin issued a statement saying that The Times’s report was “distorted” and “untrue”. The text of the interview, posted on Times Online, matches the recording of the conversation and was transcribed by a press representative of Mr Thaksin.
Mr Kasit said that Thailand would begin extradition proceedings against Mr Thaksin today, as he arrives in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. It will be his first time back in the region since fleeing in August last year, and the trip is aggravating tensions between the neighbours.
A spokesman for Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Prime Minister, warned journalists not to report the contents of the interview and hinted that the Government would use the country’s draconian lèse-majesté law, which imposes sentences of up to 12 years in jail for insulting the king or his family.
Internet users in Thailand said last night that it was impossible to access the news article, in which Thaksin spoke of his hopes for his country after the death of the revered King, Bhumibol Adulyadej. It is not clear whether this is a result of censorship but the Ministry of Information routinely blocks web pages that are deemed to contain information unflattering to the monarchy.
According to the Bangkok Post, Thepthai Senpong, Mr Abhisit’s spokesman, said that “the comments in the interview were offensive to the royal institution”. He added that the ruling Democrat Party would recommend “appropriate action” by the Government and security agencies against media that report the interview.
“I would like to say that Thaksin’s interview violates the monarchy, which is the country’s main institution,” Kasit Piromya, the Thai Foreign Minister, told reporters in Bangkok. “I wonder what the hidden agenda was that caused him to make this inappropriate move. In his interview, there are several parts referring to His Majesty the King, the Crown Prince and the monarchy, and [they] also refer to His Majesty’s role in politics.”
He said that the Justice Ministry would consider whether to charge Thaksin with lèse-majesté on top of the two-year prison sentence imposed upon him in absentia for a land deal transacted during his five years as Prime Minister.
The controversy over the interview focuses on Thaksin’s remarks about Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. He emphasised his loyalty to King Bhumibol, who has been in hospital for seven weeks but spoke of his hopes for a lesspoliticised royal palace after the king’s passing.
Mr Thaksin issued a statement saying that The Times’s report was “distorted” and “untrue”. The text of the interview, posted on Times Online, matches the recording of the conversation and was transcribed by a press representative of Mr Thaksin.
Mr Kasit said that Thailand would begin extradition proceedings against Mr Thaksin today, as he arrives in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. It will be his first time back in the region since fleeing in August last year, and the trip is aggravating tensions between the neighbours.
10 comments:
Thailand should apprehend and jail Kasit because he has lead his gang to occupied Bangkok airport in 2008upraising.
To Hun Sen (Leader of the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime)
Since you and the CPP assassinated, executed, killed and murdered jurnalists, political opponents, leaders of the free trade union, innocent men, innocent women and innocent children;
Do you have any plan to assassinate the Thai prime minister (Abhisit Vejjajiva)?
Are you going to send Brigade 70 (Hun Sen's Death Squad Unit) to assassinate the Thai prime minister (Abhisit Vejjajiva)?
Is it true, you only kill your own peoples, you will not kill Thai and Veitnamese peoples that cannot get enough of our land?
Is it true, you only kill innocent Khmer peoples with no weapon in their hands?
Thai justice should jail Abhiahit and the yellow shirts they're committing crime against Thai Gov't democratic elected, which is Poeur Thai Gov't(MR.Thaksin's Gov't.
He was elected by Thai people not by the coups suche ABhi-Shit yellow shirt.
Go down your ending day is near.
this goes to show the true siem thugs color, really. and the world thought they were democracy all along! wait until you see what's going on in thailand, especially how they treat thaksin's freedom, etc. go figure!
I won't hesitate to insult the Thai King and his family, if these mother fuckers look down on the Khmer peoples.
This is the 21st century, where modernity strives for the best, rather than being stuck in the middle age era.
Kings, queens are only symbolic prestige, rather than controlling absolute power like it was back in many centuries ago.
Democracy, development, and progree are only be able to function smoothly and graciously if there is no hindrances to all sorts of perspectives.
However, in order to provide these perspectives, one may not have to go through the means of using derogaratory language or idioms.
In conclusion, free of the press without any political backlashes or persecution would serve best for the twenty-first century where diversity, free flow of information, easy access to transportaion, etc.
To put in another word, this is age of modern globalization where all open minds could be juxtaposed in vaious dimensions, and colours in the name of better living standards.
Therefore, lese majesty law should not be imposed on any individual, party, or organization, or this law should not be in a constitution in the first place.
Thailand is stuck in stone age. I thought Cambodia was bad until now the truth color of Thailand being seen among the world community. Their people are being suppressed b/c of their stone age mentality to jail anyone for freedom of speech. This is should be in the constitution for any democratic country. This lèse-majesté is being exploited by the PAD Thai politicians to gain support from the monarch and his gullible followers. By the way, this Thai king is not the super human with rights to jail someone for the rights to speak in the jail term for 12 years...
The government of Abhisit/Kasit is getting more insecure of Thaksin………I see nothing wrong with Mr Thaksin's comments……you see when you get power by force and not by a populace election naturally you would feel threaten by the rightful owner of the power. What Thaksin said is roughly correct.
THERE GOES FREEDOM OF SPEECH, HUMAN RIGHTS AND MORE...THAILAND IS A JOKE! A LAND OF A THOUSAND FAKE SMILE....
What kind of a democracy country is this, where a news media cannot have freedom to say, write and report? No wonder the Bangkok Posts and the Nation are so bias with their story whenever they report about anything related to Khmer.
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