The director of Isra News Institute has filed a defamation complaint against a well-known Scottish journalist over sexual harassment allegation.
Isra News Agency on 16 September 2017 issued a public statement that Prasong Lertratanawisute, its director, filed a complaint to the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) against Andrew MacGregor Marshall, a former Bangkok-based Scottish journalist wanted for lèse majesté.
The complaint followed the statement issued earlier by the Thai Journalist Association (TJA) about the accusation of sexual harassment involving an unidentified executive of a media organisation, which led to the resignation of an employee of the organisation.
The TJA stated that it will investigate the matter, but did not identify the name of the suspect nor the media organisation. Marshall later alleged that the suspect of sexual harassment was Prasong.
Isra stated that the allegation was groundless and was propagated by people whose interests have been affected by the agency’s investigative reporting, adding that it has the rights to take legal actions against those who defamed Prasong and the agency.
On 17 September, Marshall posted a statement on his Facebook account that he decided to name the suspect because he is a fugitive living outside Thailand he cannot be harmed by the Thai law.
“If Isra was a credible organisation it would conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the allegations against Prasong,” Marshall wrote on Facebook. “But the truth is, there is no conspiracy. I just want to help victims of sexual harassment get their voice heard.”
