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From: "Kittipong " <kittipong@thabyegoneywa.com>
To: <cpmr40@hotmail.com>,
<supinya40@yahoo.com>
Subject: article about Supinya in today's International Herald Tribune
Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 16:57:23 +0700
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Jane Perlez: Reformer makes waves in Thais' 'still water'
Jane Perlez ~~article_owner~~
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Asia Letter
<http://www.iht.com/ihtsearch.php?key=BANGKOK> BANGKOK Supinya Klangnarong,
a 31-year-old campaigner for a free press, is gutsy, well versed in media
law and, in a refreshing way, not too impressed with herself.
Her specialty in the media goes to the heart of a delicate issue in
Thailand: the fact that the country's biggest media and communications
company, Shin, was founded by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and is
controlled by his family.
Last year, Klangnarong dared to say publicly what was obvious from the stock
market - that the corporation had profited handsomely since Thaksin won the
2001 election. She accused the company of using the profits to enhance the
fortunes of Thaksin's political party.
Two months after her critique appeared in the Thai-language newspaper Thai
Post, the corporation sued her for libel. The company's success was due to
its business acumen, not its political connections, the suit argued. The
company denied that it had helped the ruling Thai Rak Thai party.
Last week, the criminal court here ruled that it would accept the case, a
decision that took some by surprise but that Klangnarong said she viewed as
a sterling opportunity. "My lawyer can ask the prime minister and his wife
to come to court," she said with a smile at the book-crammed offices of the
Campaign for Popular Media Reform, a small nongovernmental organization
where she carries the title of secretary general. "If they come, they will
be equal to me."
The case against Klangnarong carries special weight because it comes against
a harsh backdrop of violence against environmental and human rights
activists who organize in communities across Thailand.
Last week, the newspaper Nation published a list of 16 people it called "the
dead and the missing" since 2001. Among those killed and missing, presumed
dead, were campaigners against logging, dams and wastewater projects. The
list also included Somchai Neelapaijit, a lawyer who defended Muslim
militants in Thailand's south. He disappeared in early March.
The latest victim was Charoen Wat-Aksorn, who was shot and killed last week
after leading a long-running campaign against a coal-fired power plant
project. Charoen, a former fisherman who coined the phrase "I don't want a
coal plant near my home," had just been in Bangkok testifying before a
parliamentary committee on questionable land deeds on the Gulf of Thailand
when he was gunned down on his way home.
Nongovernmental organizations staffed with courageous and gritty advocates
for democracy have played a vital role in Thailand over the years. In the
1970s, the movement was brutally suppressed. It revived in the 1990s, most
notably in pushing for passage of a new constitution in 1997.
Since Thaksin - who some newspaper columnists here have likened to Silvio
Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister - came to power, those voices find it
harder to be heard. No one is suggesting that the government is picking off
local activists. Rather, a climate of commerce-at-any-cost has blossomed
that gives criminals, whom the government actually says it wants to
eliminate, the leeway to protect their interests with impunity. "This
government would like politics to be completely stable, like still water,"
said Pasuk Phongpaichit, a professor of economics at Chulalongkorn
University here. "But the nongovernmental organizations active in defending
the rights of people at the grass roots, and pushing ahead with political
reform as laid down in the constitution, their activities cause ripples."
The politicians, she said, do not appreciate pesky intruders in their
elegant Thai "still water." "So attempts are made to quieten them down."
Klangnarong said she believed she had been sued because the corporation
considered her an easy target, "just an activist."
Indeed, an economist, Somkiat Tangkijvanich, at the Thailand Development
Research Institute, said much of what Klangnarong is being sued for at a
seminar last weekend. Shin shares benefited markedly from the "political
connection factor," Somkiat said.
"We get our facts and knowledge from the academics but we use stronger
words," said Klangnarong. In Thailand, she said, there is a hierarchy of
punishment. "If you act too much you'll be killed. If you talk too much you
will be sued. If you're an academic, you might be discredited."
She developed her interest in the politics of the media, and in particular
access for the public to broadcasting, while studying for an undergraduate
degree at Chulalongkorn University. A professor, Ubonrat Siriyuwasak,
described Klangnarong as "extraordinary." "She has the courage; she
understands the situation."
One of her main objectives, Klangnarong said, was to press for fulfillment
of Article 40 in the 1997 Constitution, which calls for the reallocation of
broadcast frequencies so that Thailand can have public television akin to
the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States and the BBC in Britain.
At the moment, the government controls the major television channels. The
one private channel, ITV, was taken over last year by Shin, which also
dominates the satellite and mobile phone business. "We think it's very
dangerous when one company controls all ownership of communication tools in
Thailand," she said.
Last year, Klangnarong won a scholarship from Westminster University in
London for a graduate course in media law. The World Association for
Christian Communication gave her living expenses - "though I'm a Buddhist,"
she said. When news spread about the Shin suit, she was invited back to
London to brief Amnesty International and Article 19, a group that promotes
freedom of expression.
She reminded those audiences, she said, that more than 2,000 alleged drug
suspects were killed in a three-month "war on drugs" by the Thaksin
government last year, a move that prompted the U.S. State Department to
criticize Thailand's "worsened" human rights record.
Part of her job abroad, she said, was to explain that Thailand was not just
the paradise for tourists that many Europeans and Americans admire.
"The prime minister wants the country to be modernized, and to be developed,
but he doesn't want to hear different voices," she said. "They welcome
investors. 'We're open,' he says. But actually it's not open for freedom of
expression."
Jane Perlez can be reached at pagetwo@iht.com.Tomorrow: Michael Gordon
writes about the 9/11 commission.
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=
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>Jane
Perlez: Reformer makes waves in Thais' 'still =
water'<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
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<tr>
<td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><font size=3D1 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black;
font-weight:bold'>Jane Perlez</span></font></b><font size=3D1 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>
~~article_owner~~ <br>
Wednesday, June 30, 2004<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=3DMsoNormal><st1:place w:st=3D"on"><b><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span
=
style=3D'font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;font-weight:bold'>=
Asia</span></font></b></st1:place><b><font
size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black;font-weight:bold'> Letter</span></font></b><font size=3D2
color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><a
href=3D"http://www.iht.com/ihtsearch.php?key=3DBANGKOK"><b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:
bold'>BANGKOK</span></b> </a>Supinya Klangnarong, a 31-year-old =
campaigner for
a free press, is gutsy, well versed in media law and, in a refreshing =
way, not
too impressed with herself.<br>
<br>
Her specialty in the media goes to the heart of a delicate issue in =
<st1:country-region
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>: the
fact that the country's biggest media and communications company, Shin, =
was
founded by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and is controlled by his =
family.<br>
<br>
Last year, Klangnarong dared to say publicly what was obvious from the =
stock
market - that the corporation had profited handsomely since Thaksin won =
the
2001 election. She accused the company of using the profits to enhance =
the
fortunes of Thaksin's political party.<br>
<br>
Two months after her critique appeared in the Thai-language newspaper =
Thai
Post, the corporation sued her for libel. The company's success was due =
to its
business acumen, not its political connections, the suit argued. The =
company
denied that it had helped the ruling Thai Rak Thai party.<br>
<br>
Last week, the criminal court here ruled that it would accept the case, =
a
decision that took some by surprise but that Klangnarong said she viewed =
as a
sterling opportunity. "My lawyer can ask the prime minister and his =
wife
to come to court," she said with a smile at the book-crammed =
offices of
the Campaign for Popular Media Reform, a small nongovernmental =
organization
where she carries the title of secretary general. "If they come, =
they will
be equal to me."<br>
<br>
The case against Klangnarong carries special weight because it comes =
against a
harsh backdrop of violence against environmental and human rights =
activists who
organize in communities across <st1:country-region =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<br>
<br>
Last week, the newspaper Nation published a list of 16 people it called
"the dead and the missing" since 2001. Among those killed and
missing, presumed dead, were campaigners against logging, dams and =
wastewater
projects. The list also included Somchai Neelapaijit, a lawyer who =
defended
Muslim militants in <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
south. He disappeared in early March.<br>
<br>
The latest victim was Charoen Wat-Aksorn, who was shot and killed last =
week
after leading a long-running campaign against a coal-fired power plant =
project.
Charoen, a former fisherman who coined the phrase "I don't want a =
coal
plant near my home," had just been in <st1:City =
w:st=3D"on">Bangkok</st1:City>
testifying before a parliamentary committee on questionable land deeds =
on the <st1:place
w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Gulf</st1:PlaceType> of =
<st1:PlaceName
w:st=3D"on">Thailand</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> when he was gunned =
down on his
way home.<br>
<br>
Nongovernmental organizations staffed with courageous and gritty =
advocates for
democracy have played a vital role in <st1:country-region =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place
w:st=3D"on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> over the years. =
In the
1970s, the movement was brutally suppressed. It revived in the 1990s, =
most
notably in pushing for passage of a new constitution in 1997.<br>
<br>
Since Thaksin - who some newspaper columnists here have likened to =
Silvio
Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister - came to power, those voices =
find it
harder to be heard. No one is suggesting that the government is picking =
off local
activists. Rather, a climate of commerce-at-any-cost has blossomed that =
gives
criminals, whom the government actually says it wants to eliminate, the =
leeway
to protect their interests with impunity. "This government would =
like
politics to be completely stable, like still water," said Pasuk
Phongpaichit, a professor of economics at <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st=3D"on">Chulalongkorn</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType =
w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
here. "But the nongovernmental organizations active in defending =
the
rights of people at the grass roots, and pushing ahead with political =
reform as
laid down in the constitution, their activities cause ripples."<br>
<br>
The politicians, she said, do not appreciate pesky intruders in their =
elegant
Thai "still water." "So attempts are made to quieten them
down."<br>
<br>
Klangnarong said she believed she had been sued because the corporation
considered her an easy target, "just an activist."<br>
<br>
Indeed, an economist, Somkiat Tangkijvanich, at the Thailand Development
Research Institute, said much of what Klangnarong is being sued for at a
seminar last weekend. Shin shares benefited markedly from the =
"political
connection factor," Somkiat said.<br>
<br>
"We get our facts and knowledge from the academics but we use =
stronger
words," said Klangnarong. In <st1:country-region =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place
w:st=3D"on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>, she said, there =
is a
hierarchy of punishment. "If you act too much you'll be killed. If =
you
talk too much you will be sued. If you're an academic, you might be
discredited."<br>
<br>
She developed her interest in the politics of the media, and in =
particular
access for the public to broadcasting, while studying for an =
undergraduate degree
at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName =
w:st=3D"on">Chulalongkorn</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. A professor, =
Ubonrat
Siriyuwasak, described Klangnarong as "extraordinary." =
"She has
the courage; she understands the situation."<br>
<br>
One of her main objectives, Klangnarong said, was to press for =
fulfillment of
Article 40 in the 1997 Constitution, which calls for the reallocation of
broadcast frequencies so that Thailand can have public television akin =
to the
Public Broadcasting Service in the United States and the BBC in =
Britain.<br>
<br>
At the moment, the government controls the major television channels. =
The one
private channel, ITV, was taken over last year by Shin, which also =
dominates
the satellite and mobile phone business. "We think it's very =
dangerous
when one company controls all ownership of communication tools in =
<st1:country-region
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>,"
she said.<br>
<br>
Last year, Klangnarong won a scholarship from <st1:PlaceName =
w:st=3D"on">Westminster</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType> in <st1:City =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place
w:st=3D"on">London</st1:place></st1:City> for a graduate course in =
media law.
The World Association for Christian Communication gave her living =
expenses -
"though I'm a Buddhist," she said. When news spread about the =
Shin
suit, she was invited back to <st1:City w:st=3D"on"><st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">London</st1:place></st1:City>
to brief Amnesty International and Article 19, a group that promotes =
freedom of
expression.<br>
<br>
She reminded those audiences, she said, that more than 2,000 alleged =
drug
suspects were killed in a three-month "war on drugs" by the =
Thaksin
government last year, a move that prompted the U.S. State Department to
criticize <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
"worsened" human rights record.<br>
<br>
Part of her job abroad, she said, was to explain that =
<st1:country-region
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> was
not just the paradise for tourists that many Europeans and Americans =
admire.<br>
<br>
"The prime minister wants the country to be modernized, and to be
developed, but he doesn't want to hear different voices," she said.
"They welcome investors. 'We're open,' he says. But actually it's =
not open
for freedom of expression."<br>
<br>
Jane Perlez can be reached at pagetwo@iht.com.Tomorrow: Michael Gordon =
writes
about the 9/11 commission.</span></font><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p=
>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
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