<p>A provincial court in southern Thailand has dismissed defamation charges against two journalists accused of defaming the Royal Thai Navy for reporting an allegation that ‘Thai naval forces’ were involved in trafficking Rohingya.</p>
By United Nations Human Rights Office |
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<div>BANGKOK (14 JULY 2015) - The United Nations Human Rights Office for South-East Asia (OHCHR) is highly concerned with the ongoing trials of two Phuketwan journalists for reporting on smuggling of Rohingya and the alleged involvement of the Royal Thai Navy in Southern Thailand.</div>
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<div>From 14 to 16 July, Mr. Alan Morison and Ms. Chutima Sidasathian will be standing trial at the Phuket Provincial Court for publishing an article which quoted an investigative report by Reuters on the smuggling of Rohingya asylum seekers.
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<p dir="ltr">Amnesty International urged the Thai junta to remove censorships over media and stop the prosecutions of people of the press in the name of national security.</p>
<p>On Sunday, <a href="http://www.amnesty.or.th">Amnesty International </a>issued a public statement to the Thai junta on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, which is on 3 May of every year.</p>
<p>The statement pointed out that since the imposition of the martial law on 20 May 2014 and the subsequent coup d’état, the junta maintains tight control over media, claiming that it is necessary for national security.</p>
By Human Rights Watch |
<p>(New York, April 17, 2015) – Thai authorities should drop criminal proceedings against two journalists for reporting on trafficking of ethnic Rohingya “boat people,” Human Rights Watch said today. Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, the editor and correspondent of the news website Phuketwan, were charged one year ago, on April 17, 2014, with criminal defamation and the Computer Crimes Act based on a complaint filed by the Thai navy.<br /></p>
By European Union Delegation and EU Heads of Mission in Thailand |
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By Harrison George |
<p>The decision by the Royal Thai Army to charge Pornpen Khongkachonkiet and the Cross Cultural Foundation with criminal defamation is in line with similar charges brought earlier by the Royal Thai Navy against Phuketwan online newspaper. It also heralds a slew of similar prosecutions which critics say are designed to silence any criticism of the governing military junta and the government they have installed.</p>
By Thaweeporn Kummetha |
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<div>Phuket police have issued summonses for Reuters and two Reuters reporters, one of whom is a member of the team which won Pulitzer, to hear charges with respect to a story which accused the Thai Navy of involvement in human trafficking of ethnic Rohingya refugees. The content was similar to that which was previously used to bring charges against Phuketwan journalists, according to Phuketwan.</div>
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By Reporters Without Borders |
<p>Reporters Without Borders reiterates its call for the withdrawal of all proceedings against two journalists who are to be tried tomorrow in the southwestern province of Phuket <a href="http://en.rsf.org/thailand-royal-thai-navy-sues-two-23-12-2013,45666.html" target="_blank">on charges of contravening the Computer Crimes Act and defaming the Royal Thai Navy</a> for quoting from a <em>Reuters</em> special report on the smuggling of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Burma.</p>
By Suluck Lamubol |
<div>The Royal Navy army sued two journalists from Phuketwan website after they reported navy’s involvement in trafficking the Rohingyas in Southern Thailand.
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