iTV staff members break down upon hearing that the station will be taken off the air at a news conference at Government House.

Following the Cabinet resolution to pull iTV off the air, the TBJA's statement said the government must make a clear-cut decision regarding iTV. The association said it did not want to see the station controlled by the government.

"A station for public service should be free from govern-ment control. If the govern-ment wants iTV to be operated by the private sector, it should open bids for a new concession and keep the spirit of the rules in place when the station was born," the statement said.

The association also urged the government to take care of iTV staff and producers who were affected by the closure decision.

The TBJA president Takern Somsub told The Nation he did not agree with the closure of iTV and would encourage its staff to seek temporary protection from the Central Administration Court.

Meanwhile, media experts yesterday expressed concern about the Cabinet resolution to pull iTV, as it violated the public's right to information.

iTV, as an independent medium, was born of the people's spirit and the government should have listened to public opinion before making any decision, said Assoc Prof Ubonrat Siriyuwasak, a lecturer in Communication Arts at Chulalongkorn University.

Ubonrat said the closure of the station would remove another channel for people to gain access to information, especially since the coup.

"I disagree with the closure and would like to see the station fight against the Cabinet's resolution by continuing to broadcast until a court orders it to stop," she said. Ubonrat, who is also chair of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform (CPMR), said she doubted the closure of iTV was legitimate, and the decision was not made in the public's interest.

Jalert Jesadawal, former head of BBC Bangkok Support Unit (Thai Service), said the Cabinet resolution to close the channel not only affected iTV staff but was also an obstruction to people's right to information.

He urged the public to participate in the decision-making process and to seek alternatives for iTV.

"An independent media cannot come about without people's participation," said Jalert, a lecturer in the Mass Communications Department of Ramkhamhaeng University's Faculty of Humanities.

The National Human Rights Commission yesterday suggested the government provide financial support for iTV in the interests of the public.