APSN | Yingluk government threatens media freedom to defend the monarchy

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Yingluk government threatens media freedom to defend the monarchy

Red Thai Socialist - March 21, 2013

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Giles Ji Ungpakorn – Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung has ordered the Thai National Police to investigate the participants and producers of a recent Thai PBS TV programme which discussed the future of the monarchy. Chalerm, a well-known gangster politician, and one of Yingluk's most senior cabinet members, told the press that it was "wrong" to broadcast such a programme. The government has a duty, according to Chalerm, to protect the monarchy. Obviously he sees no need to protect democracy, freedom of the press and freedom of expression. A National Police spokesman told the press that the police were setting up an investigation team and that those involved with the programme might well "go to prison". Earlier army chief and loudmouth General Prayut Junocha condemned the TV programme and said that anyone who is unhappy with the present role of the monarchy "should leave Thailand". In 2010 Paryut was one of the people responsible for shooting nearly 90 unarmed Red Shirt pro-democracy demonstrators.

What did people on the "Addressing the Problem" (Torp Jode) TV programme actually say? In the 5th and final part, Dr Somsak Jeamteerasakul from Thammasart University discussed the future role of the Thai monarchy with Sulak Siwarak. Somsak suggested that the monarchy needed to be reformed to make it a genuine "Constitutional Monarchy" like in Britain. He suggested getting rid of lhse majeste, in order that the institution could face public scrutiny, and making sure that the monarchy was separated from politics. Somsak suggested that the elected government of the day should be the monarch's advisors, not an unaccountable privy council. Although Sulak seemed to agree with Somsak, he claimed that the "time was not right" and that the Thai people were weak and child-like and thus needed to rely on the monarchy. Sulak claims to be an extreme monarchist, but his main characteristic is being an extreme egotist.

The Yingluk "Pua Thai Party" Government is singing along to the same tune as the military chiefs and the royalists. They all obviously believe that there can be no room for any public discussion about reforms to the role of the monarchy and that anyone who takes part in such discussions should be locked in prison. Some Western supporters of the Yingluk Government, especially those around the blog "Political Prisoners in Thailand" and those associated with the lawyer Robert Amsterdam, have in the past tried to claim that the present government has stopped using lhse majeste. They also claim that Yingluk is under great pressure from the army. This flies in the face of what has actually happened to lhse majeste prisoners since the 2011 election and also the government funds allocated to blocking and prosecuting websites and internet users who are accused of lhse majeste. This latest government attack on those involved with the PBS TV programme proves that Yingluk and the Pau Thai Party have chosen to stand with the military against freedom of speech and genuine democratic reforms. Any further excuses for this government, either by Western commentators, or by Thai Red Shirts, are unsustainable. Even if in the end there are no actual prosecutions of those involved with the TV programme, the actions of Chalerm and the police amount to an unacceptable and serious threat to media freedom.

In late 2008, I was required to report to the police on lhse majeste charges for writing a book criticising the 2006 military coup. The police deemed it to be a grave offence for me to ask the following question in my book: "should the constitutional monarch protect the constitution from a military coup?" The 2006 military coup was justified by the army as being "necessary" in order to protect the monarchy.

We should understand that lhse majeste is not about the monarchy protecting itself or its so-called power. The Thai King is weak and pathetic. Since coming to the throne he has allowed himself to be used my military despots, conservative politicians and business elites in order to give these people "royal legitimacy". Today he is incarcerated in Siriraj Hospital and almost unable to speak. Without lhse majeste and without serious threats to anyone who is brave enough to discuss future reforms to the monarchy, the army generals, rich politicians and businessmen fear that their power and class privileges will disappear.

All those who support freedom and democracy should stand firmly behind Somsak Jeamteerasakul and the producers of the Thai PBS TV programme. Never the less, it is my personal belief that we need to abolish the monarchy and all its trappings and conduct a root and branch transformation of the military and the judiciary. Only then can we hope to have freedom and democracy in Thailand. There is much to hope for. There is a growing climate of opinion within Thailand that lhse majeste should be scrapped and that significant changes should be made to the role of the monarchy. As Somsak noted on TV, a few years ago it would have been impossible to have a public discussion about the monarchy. The Yingluk Government and the generals wish to turn the clock back to the dark ages. We must make sure that they fail.