The Ugly Truth of Thai press

“Press” and “Freedom” are the two things that should always coexist. One of the most important function of the press is to checks and balances, making sure that no one person or department, namely the government, has absolute control over decisions.

Unfortunately, centralization of power has developed into one of the most problematic conflict ever since the 2014 Thai military coup led by our current president, General Prayut Chan-o-cha who is the Commander of the Royal Thai Army. As a result, countless acts and regulations have been implemented to control the public’s opinion which contradicts the 2007 Constitution, which states in part: Section 36: A person shall enjoy the liberty of communication by any means.

According to the research conducted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), as of 2022, Thailand ranks 115th out of 180 countries all over the world on the Word Press Freedom Index, showing that Thai press do have freedom to an certain extent, but there are still lots of limitation that prevent journalists to be able to do their job freely.

The 2020 youth-led protests which lasted for almost two years in Thailand is a prime example of how the Thai government use their power to control the public and the media. The peace demonstrations targeted the most sacred institution in Thailand : The monarchy. To put it frankly, the government’s answer to this demand is far from pretty. Authorities stopped the protestants by violence, using guns with rubber bullets which resulted in a lot of injuries to the participants.

However, the violence got almost no mainstream media attention at all which contribute directly to the harassment such as suspension media agencies received by the authorities. Those who does covers the protest are pro-government agencies whose news are even less reliable than certain Facebook pages created to provide news regarding the incident.

As a result, many new agencies are forced to self-censored and choose between either covering professional, ethical, and true news while risking their job and life or cover the “safer news” such as celebrities and dramas. The state of Thai press freedom is truly catastrophic but at least there are some hope as certain news agencies are still fighting to keep providing reliable news and information

Within one year since the protest started, at least 148, in which 62 cases related to online expression, have been charged with the lese-majeste legislation, the strict laws targeting those who defame the royal family which could results to 15 years in prison. Since January 2022, there are two journalists currently imprisoned as a result of the legislation.

Press freedom and freedom of expression are directly connected. Any form of media suppression from any party in general is unacceptable, but when it’s coming from the government who suppose to provide better life for the people and improve the country, it’s truly disappointing. Ever since the military seized power in 2014, a country who once seemed like a democratic country is being pulled back in to the same hole.