Thailand
Government gags opposition mediaPosted Apr 16 2010
The Thai government has been censoring opposition and independent media since a state of emergency was declared April 8. The government has banned content that would disseminate “information liable to disturb public order.”
According to Reporters Without Borders, the government shut down the PTV satellite channel linked to the “Red Shirts” opposition group, which wants Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to give up his position and call for new elections.
Red Shirts rallied at ThaiCom, the company that broadcasts PTV, and the signal was resumed for a short period of time before the government cut it off again. The same day, the government also blocked 36 Web sites, some of them independent media with no connection to the Red Shirts.
On April 10, red shirt protesters swarmed 1st Army Headquarters, which handles security in Bangkok and central Thailand.
During violence between the military and the protesters, Hiroyuki Muramoto, 43, a Japanese cameraman working for Reuters, was shot dead.
It is not known who fired the shot that killed Muramoto, but both sides blame each other for the violence. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, a national newspaper, the Thai military said live rounds of ammunition were only fired as warning shots. Sources close to the Red Shirts said the soldiers fired live ammunition at protesters and are responsible for shooting Muramoto.
Japan's Metropolitian Police Department announced it would launch an investigation into Muramoto's death.
According to a report issued April 13 by Reuters, 23 people have been killed during the demonstrations. Both Reporters Without Borders and Committee to Protect Journalists have released statements condemning the censorship in Thailand and mourning Muramoto's killing.