Keep strong, Supinya!
We are behind you, and will be praying (and ACTING in our capacities) for
you...
A sure test case for our solidarity in Communication Rights...
----- Original Message -----
From: supinya klangnarong <supinya40@yahoo.com>
To: <communication@wsisasia.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 8:40 PM
Subject: [communication 1127] Re: Fw: SUPINYA vs SHIN Corp
> Dear Al and all,
>
> It confirmed that this case will be last long.
> Court made a verdict that I shall be real defendant
> and get a chance to defend in court from now on.
>
> Court asked me to go again on 6 September in order to
> bail out myself.
>
> Even I was telling myself before but still feel
> disappointed. But I am fine.
>
> I am going home now and will write you again.
> Let me say that I thank you all very much for your
> kind supports.
>
> All the best,
> supinya
>
>
>
> --- "Alan G. Alegre" <alalegre@fma.ph> wrote:
> > There is disturbing news that one of our colleagues
> > in Thailand Supinya
> > Klanangrong, who was sued by libel by the Thai Prime
> > Minster's business
> > empire, lost the verdict today for the case to be
> > dropped...will find out
> > more...
> >
> > Here is a backgrounder again from Bangkok's "The
> > Nation"...
> >
> >
> > >
> > > The Nation's article starts from here :::::>
> > >
> > >
> > > SPECIAL: Supinya's big day in court
> > >
> > > Published on Jun 22, 2004
> > >
> > >
> > > Today the Criminal Court will issue an
> > unprecedented ruling on whether
> > > to accept a libel lawsuit filed by the prime
> > minister's business empire
> > > against leading activist Supinya Klangnarong. She
> > was sued for bringing
> > > to the public's attention an issue wholly
> > unfamiliar to the justice
> > > system of Thailand - conflict of interest. Pravit
> > Rojanaphruk talked to
> > > her before her big day in court.
> > >
> > > Life for 31-year-old media freedom campaigner
> > Supinya Klangnarong has
> > > changed quite a lot since she was sued last
> > October by Shin Corp, the
> > > telecommunications giant owned by Prime Minister
> > Thaksin Shinawatra's
> > > family. Her case was widely reported in the local
> > media and beyond.
> > >
> > > Supinya accused Shin Corp, which owns the iTV
> > television station and
> > > many other communications firms, of being a major
> > beneficiary of the
> > > Thaksin administration's policies, having trebled
> > its wealth since the
> > > premier came to power three years ago. She also
> > accused the firm of
> > > using the profits, in turn, to further advance
> > Thaksin's political
> > > clout.
> > >
> > > Since then, Supinya has become a globetrotter of
> > sorts, flying off to
> > > places like Sri Lanka, Switzerland, India and
> > Slovenia. Last week she
> > > was in London talking to workers from
> > non-governmental organisations
> > > (NGOs) such as Amnesty International and Article
> > 19, a free-speech
> > > advocacy group, and with members of journalist
> > unions about how press
> > > freedom is facing a new kind of threat in
> > Thailand.
> > >
> > > "[Foreigners] are interested in why this huge
> > corporation related to the
> > > prime minister decided to sue me," she said,
> > adding that invitations to
> > > talk at local universities and seminars had
> > increased dramatically since
> > > October.
> > >
> > > At 1.30pm today, the Criminal Court will finally
> > decide whether to take
> > > up or drop the case. Supinya is anxious but
> > prepared for both
> > > eventualities.
> > >
> > > "If the court takes up the case, I will turn a
> > crisis into an
> > > opportunity," she said, explaining that such a
> > decision would give her
> > > the opportunity to focus more on the relationship
> > between the
> > > corporation and the prime minister's
> > administration.
> > >
> > > "But deep down, nobody wants to fight a court
> > case," she said, adding
> > > that some libel cases have already dragged on for
> > five or six years with
> > > no end in sight.
> > >
> > > She has no regrets about her remarks, which
> > appeared in the
> > > Thai-language Thai Post newspaper last July.
> > >
> > > Supinya is a graduate of the Faculty of
> > Communication Arts at
> > > Chulalongkorn University and has a postgraduate
> > degree in media and
> > > communications at Westminster University in
> > London.
> > >
> > > Supinya said friends and colleagues had asked her
> > why she did not try to
> > > evade the legal trap by not mentioning the name of
> > Shin Corp outright,
> > > and instead make a vague yet concrete enough
> > reference for everyone to
> > > guess what firm she was talking about.
> > >
> > > "If I could rewind the clock and go back in time,
> > I would mention the
> > > name of the firm again," she said. "Without this,
> > people are no longer
> > > in a position to scrutinise the powerful. It is
> > about freedom of speech,
> > > and society should learn to accept it. It is a
> > reminder to the private
> > > sector that they cannot simply do whatever they
> > want and remain
> > > untouchable."
> > >
> > > Supinya is not too upset, however, admitting she
> > is quite fortunate to
> > > be working for an NGO as secretary-general of the
> > Campaign for Popular
> > > Media Reform, and to have been relatively
> > well-known to the public even
> > > prior to the lawsuit action.
> > >
> > > "If I was an academic, they would just try to
> > publicly discredit me. If
> > > I was a rural villager, I might simply have been
> > abducted. Thank
> > > goodness I haven't been and am still living safely
> > without political
> > > harassment. However, the lawsuit has had an impact
> > on my courage to
> > > speak."
> > >
> > > While 60 people turned up at the court on the day
> > she was asked to make
> > > a first appearance, Supinya is not counting on
> > that many today.
> > >
> > > "If I win, they may appeal and it could drag on,
> > like cancer. If I lose,
> > > I will appeal to higher courts. In the end, it
> > depends on how strong you
> > > are and you must come to terms with it yourself. I
> > have also learned to
> > > trust my attorney," said Supinya, referring to a
> > 50-something volunteer
> > > lawyer from the Law Society of Thailand by the
> > name of Nakorn.
> > >
> > > The Business for Society Network donated Bt50,000
> > as a starting fund for
> > > Supinya's legal defence. However, more money will
> > be required if the
> > > case drags on.
> > >
> > > "Public interest in my case may wane eventually,
> > but as long as I have
> > > my trusted attorney, I won't be afraid. What's
> > more, at least my case
> > > has caught the public's attention - many more such
> > cases ended without
> > > the public even knowing about it," she said.
> > >
> > > "I now realise that the case has become part of my
> > work, even without my
> > > knowing it. But it has also alerted the public
> > about what is at risk
> > > here."
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > (c) Nation Multimedia Group
> > > 44 Moo 10 Bang Na-Trat KM 4.5, Bang Na district,
> > Bangkok 10260 Thailand
> > > Tel 66-2-325-5555, 66-2-317-0420 and 66-2-316-5900
> > ; Fax 66-2-317-2071
> > > Contact us: Nation Internet
> > >
> > > (end of The Nation story)
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Pradip Thomas
> > > Sent: 22 June 2004 10:40
> > > To: All Staff
> > > Subject: FW: SUPINYA vs SHIN Corp
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> >
> === message truncated ===
>
>
>
>
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