John Grogan, Labour MP for Selby, raised the issue during Tuesday's meeting of the House. He said cancelling the BBC's Thai service was a mistake because press freedom in Thailand was threatened.

Grogan cited Reporters Without Borders (RWB)'s worldwide press freedom index for 2005, in which Thailand was ranked 107th out of 167 countries - a dramatic plunge from Thailand's ranking of 59th in 2004.

The MP said the BBC's Thai Service played a vital role in presenting information and different points of view on developments in the Kingdom. The recent tendency for the Thai media to censor its news made the BBC an important source of information for the Thai people, he said.

The BBC's Thai-language radio service was still needed given the current political situation, he said.

The MP criticised the BBC World Service committee, saying its decision to cancel the service was made without sufficient information or due consideration.

The decision came just one day after BBC World Service director Nigel Chapman proposed that the Thai-language programs be closed. The minister responsible for the BBC approved it without any debate, Grogan said.

Dr Kim Howells MP, minister of state for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said the closure of the BBC's Thai Service was not due to budget cuts at the BBC World Service, but resulted solely from a decision by the BBC World Committee.

The debate ended with no conclusion on Tuesday but Grogan said his group would hold further discussions on the possibility of resuming the Thai service with another minister, Lord Triesman, who is directly responsible for the BBC World Service.

The BBC Thai service ended on January 13 after 64 years.