26 community radio stations shut down

Using the emergency decree, authorities have recently shut down 26 community-radio stations in nine provinces and pressured six others to discontinue their services.

As many as 84 community-radio stations have been blacklisted and their activities closely monitored in the latest round of political unrest. At least 35 people related to these media outlets - like radio hosts, station chiefs and executives - are already facing legal action for allegedly mobilising their listeners to the red-shirt rally in Bangkok, for broadcasting what was going on at the rally site and for distorting information.

"However, there are no clear details to substantiate these charges," Campaign for Popular Media Reform (CPMR) secretary-general Suthep Wilailert said yesterday.

He was speaking at a seminar about the fate of community radio stations under the state of emergency.

CPMR organised the seminar under its Community Radio Watch project, which has received support from the Heinrich Boll Foundation.

Suthep said the authorities had in many cases threatened the community radio stations because sometimes up to 200 soldiers turned up in full force to seize their equipment.

In Ubon Ratchathani, some 200 officials showed up to shut down a community radio station. In Chiang Mai, up to 500 officials were deployed to close down another community radio station.

Suthep said some of these officials were even carrying machine guns.

According to him, some community radio stations continued to operate but with much restriction. For example, they have to put up a board saying, "No comments on political situation" to remind their staff to not cause trouble for the stations.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) supervises community radio stations, but with the emergency decree in place, security agencies have the mandate to intervene.

"If national security is involved, the immediate closure of a community radio station is possible," Dr Surat Metheekhul of NTC said.

However, he said NTC would look into complaints about alleged unfair closures.

National Federation of Community Radio Station secretary-general Wicharn Oun-ok said the hosts of community radio stations tended to speak in laymen's language and made casual remarks the way people did in their everyday life.

"Their speeches may be rousing and emotional sometimes. But to be fair, the authorities should clearly specify what can and cannot be broadcast," he said.

 Wicharn, however, said it was not possible to completely bar radio-show hosts from discussing politics.

"Community radio stations cannot be packed with just farming techniques," he pointed out.

Dr Niran Pitakwatchara, a commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, said the shutting down of community radio stations could backfire on the government.

He also vowed to look into how the shutdown of community radio stations had violated the rights of people.

Thammasat University's law lecturer Sawatree Suksri said Thai law used very board terms like national security and good public morals in controlling media.

"Such terms are too broad," she said, adding that even in an abnormal situation, authorities should not muzzle media because people should receive information from all sides so they can make decision themselves on what to believe.

Sirote Klampaiboon from the Mahidol University's Centre for Human-Rights Studies and Social Development said community radio stations should not be prosecuted for their political stance.

"If they have a political conviction, that should not be a problem. Such outlets belong to communities and people. They should be independent from the central government," he said.

"Let the communities take care of their own radio stations. We must have trust in the communities' abilities to do so".