Thai media has called on the Thai junta to abolish orders restricting freedom of the press while the junta leader scolded the demand, implying that Thai media already enjoys enough freedom.
According to Matichon Online, Wanchai Wongmeechai, chairman of the Thai Journalist Association (TJA), together with representatives from the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA) and TJA attempted to hand a statement to Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, at the Government House on Tuesday, 3 May 2016, the World Press Freedom Day.
The staff of the junta leader, however, did not allow them to do so. Therefore, they resorted to submitting the statement to the government’s petition office instead.
Greeted and asked by Gen Prayut as to what brought them to the Government House,Wanchai told him that they were commemorating the World Press Freedom Day by advocating for media freedom.
The junta premier responded to Wanchai’s answer, saying “ the freedom of the Thai media in present, hasn’t it enough.”
When asked by the group if the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) could revoke the NCPO’s Orders NO. 97 and 103 as the orders limit media freedom, Gen Prayut said that if such orders are revoked additional orders have to be issued to replace them instead for the sake of national security and peace.
Earlier on the same day, the junta leader told a veteran journalist to watch herself when she told him that freedom of the press is the freedom of Thai citizens.
In the jointed statement of the TJA and TBJA, the group urged the NCPO to revoke Orders No. 97/2014, 103/2014 and Section 5 of the NCPO’s order No. 3/2015 and allow media and civil groups to express opinions freely.
Despite the fact that Article 4 of the Interim Charter imposed by the NCPO after the 2014 coup d’état stipulates that people shall enjoy freedom and liberties as stated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, journalists, politicians, and political dissidents are regularly harassed by the NCPO.
Many international human rights advocacy groups fear that human rights violations under the military regime will get worse as the public referendum to pass the controversial junta-sponsored draft constitution is drawing near.
Last year, Reporters Without Borders, downgraded Thailand from 130th place in 2014 on the world press freedom ranking to 134th place in 2015.
Wanchai Wongmeechai, chairman of the Thai Journalist Association (TJA), exchanging words with Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader, at the Government House on 3 May 2016 (Photo from TJA)