Thai Journalists Association urges PM’s team to stop intimidating media
Leaked photo of reporter triggers online abuse from PM’s supporters
The Thai Journalists Association urged officials working closely with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to refrain from any intimidating behaviour towards journalists following a recent confrontation between the PM and a reporter.
The Thai premier was seen expressing irritation towards a journalist during an interview on June 4 regarding the ongoing conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. The 38 year old PM refused to answer whether Cambodian military forces had encroached on Thai territory, instead challenging the journalist to visit the scene with officials.
The journalist was heard snickering after PM Paetongtarn’s response, prompting the PM to respond cuttingly.
“Oh, what’s wrong? Journalists are fierce today.”
The journalist in question had another important press conference to attend and left the PM’s interview before it concluded.
Other reporters later asked whether Paetongtarn was angry with the journalist. The PM insisted she had no strong feelings on the matter and encouraged the media to ask the journalist why she appeared to be upset with her.
Following the exchange, the journalist’s picture and identity were circulated on social media. Many netizens who supported the PM flooded the posts with criticism and hate speech. Reports indicated that the image was shared by officials working closely with the PM.
Although it was not officially confirmed whether the leak came from Paetongtarn’s team, the Thai Journalists Association stepped in to defend the rights of journalists by issuing an official statement on the matter.
In the statement, the association urged all parties to consider the harmful impact of actions that intimidate media freedom and to avoid any conduct that may undermine journalists’ ability to report the truth to the public.
The association noted that taking photographs or videos of journalists while interviewing the PM or other senior government officials and then sharing them on social media constitutes a form of pressure and intimidation.
This negatively affects the working atmosphere and undermines journalistic freedom, which is a cornerstone of a democratic system.
Such behaviour could deter journalists from performing their duties, particularly when covering sensitive issues in the public interest.
The association called on the PM’s team and relevant departments to avoid such actions and to foster a safe and respectful environment for the media.
A parliamentary journalist representative also raised the matter yesterday, June 11, during a press conference attended by several senior government figures.
The journalist representative urged the government not to repeat actions that infringe upon press freedom. All government officials present acknowledged the issue but did not offer any response or opinion on the request.
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