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Alert

Protesters supportive of prime minister harass newspaper

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Thai journalist groups are condemning what they see as an act of "intimidation" against a local daily by protesters sympathetic to embattled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

On 30 March 2006, some 3,000 protesters from a group dubbed the "Caravan of the Poor" encircled the headquarters of the Nation Multi Media Group, publishers of a number of Thai newspapers. The protest, which started on 28 March, was directed against one particular newspaper, the "Kom Chad Leuk", after the 24 March edition of the newspaper quoted a leader of an anti-Thaksin demonstration. Various observers felt that the quoted statements were insulting to the king.

On 29 March, the editors of "Kom Chad Leuk" apologized for the story, fired the reporter and duty editor responsible for its publication, and declared a self-imposed three-day suspension on their own newspaper, to commence 31 March. The editor of the newspaper also submitted his resignation.

Despite its expressions of contrition, "Kom Chad Leuk" continued to be the target of protests. The Caravan of the Poor has been rallying Thaksin sympathizers for the past two weeks to counter all efforts to have the prime minister step down from office. Thaksin has been dogged by charges of corruption, conflict of interest, and of selling out the country's interests to foreign businesses - all stemming from his family's stake in Shin Corp., Thailand's biggest telecommunications and broadcasting conglomerate.

In one of the demonstrations against Thaksin last week, protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul was quoted by the newspaper as portraying the prime minister as someone who, by his stubbornness, was unduly placing a burden on the king to act.

This was enough to cause concern among many sectors in Thailand, a constitutional monarchy where the king is ceremonial but deeply revered.

Sondhi insisted he was quoted out of context.

Nevertheless, the Caravan of the Poor protesters barricaded entrances to the paper's building and threatened not to leave until its additional demand that "Kom Chad Leuk" extend its self-imposed suspension was met.

They finally dispersed around 6 p.m. (local time) after the newspaper agreed to additional suspension of the publication on 8 and 9 March.

The incident prompted the Thai Journalists Association and Thai Broadcast Journalists Association to condemn the acts of the demonstrators as a form of intimidation against the newspaper and a threat to the media's rights and freedom to perform their duties.

"The protest leaders unfairly cited the monarchy in order to discredit the media. Never before, not even during a dictatorial regime, has the media come under such a threat," the associations said in a joint statement issued on 30 March.

The two associations agreed that the newspaper has already taken responsibility for the mistake based on media ethical standards and the country's legal system.

They also said the government and the police have a responsibility to ensure the security of workers of the newspaper, and to keep the actions of the Caravan of the Poor within the confines of the law.