"Aussie Allan" must be getting a tad nervous......
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Thailand Phuketwan Reporters Face Defamation Charges
"Two journalists are on trial in the southern Thai island of Phuket for allegedly defaming the Thai navy.
Their charges stem from a July 2013 online article which included a paragraph, originally published by Reuters, on human trafficking.
Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian of website Phuketwan, who pleaded not guilty, face up to seven years in jail.
Reuters quoted an unnamed smuggler that Thai naval forces made money from turning a blind eye to trafficking.
Reuters has since won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on the Rohingya which included that particular article. The wire agency does not face any charges.
The trial opened with a navy captain testifying he filed the defamation case on behalf of the navy, a lawyer representing the journalists told AFP news agency.
"He also confirmed that the Phuketwan quotes were lifted from [the] Reuters article," the lawyer was quoted as saying.
The BBC's Jonah Fisher says that despite its small size, Phuketwan has a well-earned reputation for reporting on the smuggling and abuse of Rohingya, who come from Myanmar (also known as Burma)."
Phuket reporters face defamation charges
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pharvey
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Phuket reporters face defamation charges
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
Re: Reporters Face Defamation Charges
Reopening the topic to add a report from the Bangkok Post which sets a frightening precedent and bleak future for any foreign media in Thailand.
Win or lose, Phuketwan faces closure
The threat of closure looms over the news website at the centre of a criminal defamation case launched by the navy, regardless of a court verdict due next month.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... es-closure
Win or lose, Phuketwan faces closure
The threat of closure looms over the news website at the centre of a criminal defamation case launched by the navy, regardless of a court verdict due next month.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... es-closure
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Phuket reporters face defamation charges
Finally some justice comes out of Thailand ...
Phuketwan not guilty on all counts in Thai Navy defamation trial
The two faced charges of defamation, which is a criminal charge in Thailand, and with offences under the Computer Crimes Act.
If found guilty they could have faced up to two years in prison for defamation and five years for breaching the Computer Crimes Act, as well as a B100,000 fine.
The charges were formally brought to trial after a complaint filed by the Royal Thai Navy. The complaint related to an article published by on the Phuketwan website in July last year.
The article quoted an investigation by the Reuters news agency, which alleged that some members of the military were involved in trafficking Muslim Rohingya refugees who had fled Myanmar.
The case drew criticism from human rights and press freedom groups around the world.
Phil Robertson, Deputy Director, Asia Division, of the New York-based international rights organisation Human Rights Watch, said before the proceedings today, "This case should have never been brought to trial in the first place, and the fact that it was shows this Thai government's total lack of concern for media freedom.
"There were plenty of opportunities for the Thai Navy and its supporters to pursue an alternative course – like demanding space from Phuketwan to print opposing views and rebuttals – but instead they criminalized the matter and demanded an absolute apology from these journalists, treating them as if they were a bunch of Navy conscripts. This whole episode shows a fundamental lack of understanding among Thai government and military officials about what a free press is really about and the role it plays in democratic society.
"Thailand needs to revoke both its criminal defamation statute and the Computer Crimes Act to end this assault on media freedom. How many more journalists and NGO activists need to be marched off to court before Bangkok admits that the Computer Crimes Act has little to do with real crime and everything to do about stifling people who express views the government doesn't like?"
http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuketwan- ... -53895.php
Phuketwan not guilty on all counts in Thai Navy defamation trial
The two faced charges of defamation, which is a criminal charge in Thailand, and with offences under the Computer Crimes Act.
If found guilty they could have faced up to two years in prison for defamation and five years for breaching the Computer Crimes Act, as well as a B100,000 fine.
The charges were formally brought to trial after a complaint filed by the Royal Thai Navy. The complaint related to an article published by on the Phuketwan website in July last year.
The article quoted an investigation by the Reuters news agency, which alleged that some members of the military were involved in trafficking Muslim Rohingya refugees who had fled Myanmar.
The case drew criticism from human rights and press freedom groups around the world.
Phil Robertson, Deputy Director, Asia Division, of the New York-based international rights organisation Human Rights Watch, said before the proceedings today, "This case should have never been brought to trial in the first place, and the fact that it was shows this Thai government's total lack of concern for media freedom.
"There were plenty of opportunities for the Thai Navy and its supporters to pursue an alternative course – like demanding space from Phuketwan to print opposing views and rebuttals – but instead they criminalized the matter and demanded an absolute apology from these journalists, treating them as if they were a bunch of Navy conscripts. This whole episode shows a fundamental lack of understanding among Thai government and military officials about what a free press is really about and the role it plays in democratic society.
"Thailand needs to revoke both its criminal defamation statute and the Computer Crimes Act to end this assault on media freedom. How many more journalists and NGO activists need to be marched off to court before Bangkok admits that the Computer Crimes Act has little to do with real crime and everything to do about stifling people who express views the government doesn't like?"
http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuketwan- ... -53895.php
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Phuket reporters face defamation charges
The head of the Navy was just replaced a week or so ago. I don't know if normal retirement or partly a result of this and other things such as the submarines. No idea if the sub deal is off now that he is gone. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
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dalmatiandave
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Re: Phuket reporters face defamation charges
Yes, it was a crazy situation when the navy tried to get this small regional news site for a story that was carried by mainstream media all over the world.Finally some justice comes out of Thailand ...
Re: Phuket reporters face defamation charges
Another part of this that I read is that they have no funds to continue operation. All of this I assume scared away advertisers, and their ability to spend the time needed to operate the paper properly. I hope this info may be wrong and they'll survive with the axe now removed from over their necks!
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
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pharvey
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Re: Phuket reporters face defamation charges
A small outfit, legal fees for the case and as you say possibly scared away advertisers...prcscct wrote:Another part of this that I read is that they have no funds to continue operation. All of this I assume scared away advertisers, and their ability to spend the time needed to operate the paper properly. I hope this info may be wrong and they'll survive with the axe now removed from over their necks!
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
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Bristolian
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Re: Phuket reporters face defamation charges
It appears that they might have closed earlier without the navy’s action…….
http://bangkokpost.com/news/general/640 ... es-closure
While reluctant to begin writing a eulogy for his website, at age 67 and with the life savings he uses to keep the site afloat now dwindling, Morison said he has little choice but to ponder the future. Without a major investor, he said, the prospects are bleak.
Yet the website has already survived longer than it might have without the navy’s legal action. “Oddly enough, when the policeman knocked on our door in December 2013 [to inform us of the charges] … we were thinking about what to do about closing Phuketwan,” Morison said.
“So the fact is that the case has inspired us to stay in business for an extra couple of years. How could we stop?”
If it does go offline, Morison noted that Phuketwan would leave behind a legacy as a news outlet that punched well above its weight on issues beyond the scope of its relatively small audience.
http://bangkokpost.com/news/general/640 ... es-closure
While reluctant to begin writing a eulogy for his website, at age 67 and with the life savings he uses to keep the site afloat now dwindling, Morison said he has little choice but to ponder the future. Without a major investor, he said, the prospects are bleak.
Yet the website has already survived longer than it might have without the navy’s legal action. “Oddly enough, when the policeman knocked on our door in December 2013 [to inform us of the charges] … we were thinking about what to do about closing Phuketwan,” Morison said.
“So the fact is that the case has inspired us to stay in business for an extra couple of years. How could we stop?”
If it does go offline, Morison noted that Phuketwan would leave behind a legacy as a news outlet that punched well above its weight on issues beyond the scope of its relatively small audience.
"'The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." - Mark Twain
Re: Phuket reporters face defamation charges
Yes, I've been a regular reader of the site for several years despite having no real interest in Phuket and they carry some interesting stories.If it does go offline, Morison noted that Phuketwan would leave behind a legacy as a news outlet that punched well above its weight on issues beyond the scope of its relatively small audience.