Bangkok Post chooses its words
carefully - August 25, 2004
The Bangkok Post now apparently will not directly
mention companies related to the Prime Minister, instead
using code words such as "a certain telecommunications
giant."
While Shin Corp is mentioned tangentially later in the
article, it is conspicuous that both the newspaper and
the Senator being quoted feel the need to tiptoe around
the company name.
This tact by the Post is likely a reaction to a
massive Shin Corp lawsuit against a social critic who
merely said it appeared that Shin Corp benefited from
government policies. Interestingly, the Post has
not covered the Shin Corp lawsuit story since early July
while The Nation has covered it twice this week.
From Senators finally
agree on NTC - Chirmsak amazed by uniformity of vote,
Bangkok Post, August 25, 2004
The Senate finally
picked the seven members of the long-delayed National
Telecommunications Commission yesterday, amidst allegations
of organised block votes and favouritism for candidates
attached to a certain telecommunications giant...
Senator Chirmsak Pinthong, a firm critic of the government,
said he found it amazing that as many as 83 of his colleagues
had cast their votes "all for the very same people"--candidates
numbered 1,2,4,7,8,9 and 10 in this exact order on the
list of the 14 candidates.
"It was quite shocking and unbelievable to see 83
senators become so exactly likeminded," he said.
"The prices of stocks of a few telecom firms will
likely go up tomorrow (today) following the victory of
some of those people associated with the industry..."
From Outrage
over Shin Corps Supinya suit, The Nation,
August 25, 2004
...If society allows powerful
political and business groups to take legal action against
social watchdogs over acts in the interest of the public,
no one else will dare to express his opinion, speak the
truth or criticise anything, the CPMR said... The
amount being sought by Shin Corp is outrageous and staggering,
said Roby Alampay, executive director of the Southeast
Asian Press Alliance. It is a clear message to the
Thai press that questioning corporations and the government
on conflict of interest matters would have dire consequences
for the press as a whole, he said.
The suit stems from a Thai Post story on July 16 last
year. Supinya was quoted as saying that from figures she
had gathered it appeared the corporation was a major beneficiary
of the premiers policies, noting a sharp rise in
Shins profits since Thaksin Shinawatra became PM
in February 2001.
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