SAC accepts lawsuit filed by fans of ASTV against CAT, PRD
The Supreme Administrative Court yesterday accepted a case filed by fans of Sondhi Limthongkul's satellite-based ASTV against the Public Relations Department (PRD) and CAT Telecom.
The court also upheld a decision by the Central Administrative Court to issue an injunction for ASTV to continue its broad cast pending a court ruling on the case. The lower court had rejected the case on the grounds that the plaintiffs were not the affected party. The plaintiffs - Somboon Tongrieng and six others - accused the PRD and CAT Telecom of unfairly ordering in January a halt in the signal transmission of ASTV and temporary closure of The Manager website. Somboon and his group appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court, which in accepting the case explained yesterday that it had an impact on viewers' rights under the Constitution's articles 37 and 39. The lower administrative court had ruled that the plaintiffs were not directly affected as far as the right of the audience was concerned. However, the presiding judge, Hassawut Wititwiriyakul, said yesterday the court upheld the lower court's decision to offer temporary measures protecting ASTV from being taken off the air following a petition by Sondhi. "The court will prevent the signal from being taken off the air again until the case is complete," he said. ASTV is a service of Thai Day Dot Com Company, part of Sondhi's Manager Group.
Kesinee Taengkhieo The Nation
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