In a landmark case for media, a Thai court has dismissed a criminal defamation case filed against the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) and four media workers for airing a program on environment impacts of the gold mining industry. On 16 November 2016, the Bangkok Criminal Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Tungkam Co. Ltd against Thai PBS and four of its current and previous employees. Tungkam is a gold mining company operating in Wang Saphung District of the northeastern Loei Province.

At least 10 foreign correspondents based in Thailand have been denied media visas during the past two months, said the former president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand. Jonathan Head, who has been tasked with monitoring and responding to issue, said all 10 were bona fide journalists and not fakes, making it difficult to understand the rationale for the Foreign Ministry’s decisions.  “We still don’t really understand what the Foreign Ministry is trying to achieve,” he said.  “All are doing legitimate media work.”

A Thai publishing company has removed from the front page of the International New York Times an article about a dismal Thai economy under military rule.   News kiosks in Thailand offered the 1 December 2015 issue of the International New York Times on their shelves with an article at the centre of its front page missing. Instead of a headline and text, an empty space contains the simple message “The article in this space was removed by our printer in Thailand. The International New York Times and its editorial staff had no role in its removal.”

A year and a half after a military coup in Thailand, Reporters Without Borders is today releasing a report about the Thai military’s skilfully orchestrated crackdown on freedom of information. Lead by the capricious Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Thai junta has been persecuting the media for the past 18 months, imposing a reign of terror that has included interrogations, arbitrary arrests, a spate of prosecutions and barely veiled threats.