Debating TV program ended in protest of ban by Thai PBS

Published on March 18, 2013 by TFP   ·   No Comments

BANGKOK, 18 March 2013 – The presenter and the production team of the TV program "Tob Jote", broadcast on Thai PBS channel, have announced the cancellation of the program, after the channel banned an episode featuring a debate on the subject of the monarchy.

The program's presenter, Pinyo Traisuriyathamma, together with the program's entire production team, issued an announcement stating that they will quit running the program, claiming media freedom had been violated by Thai PBS.

"Tob Jote" is a program featuring interviews and debates on contentious social and political issues. Last Friday, Thai PBS banned the fifth and final episode in the program's series focusing on the subject of the monarchy and the Constitution. The first four episodes featured debates on Article 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese-majeste law, by prominent supporters and well-known opponents.

On the day the episode was banned, a group of about a dozen protesters calling themselves the "People who Love our Father in Practice" came to Thai PBS's office to call for the program to be banned.

Issara News Agency reported that three editors at Thai PBS, including the political editor, supported the group's call and put pressure on the channel's management.

However, the channel's director-general Somchai Suwanban rejected the report. He said that the decision by the management was only to "postpone" the episode, and was a measure to ensure the safety of the channel's staffs in the face of protesters. The decision, he said, was not a result of any internal pressure.

(NNT: Prach Panchakunathorn)

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/03/18/debating-tv-program-ended-in-protest-of-ban-by-thai-pbs/