THAKSIN VS SONDHI: Gagged!
Sondhi Limthongkul of Manager Media Group, a sharp-tongued critic of Thaksin Shinawatra, was served a Civil Court order yesterday, requiring him to stop criticising the prime minister immediately.
 The Nation
November 18, 2005 - The injunction is pending a court trial on Thaksin's libel suits against Sondhi.
Thana Benjathikul, the premier's principal lawyer in the libel suits against Sondhi and related parties, warned the controversial media figure that he could face a jail term if he refused to abide by the court's order.
As a result of the injunction, the Manager Media Group's popular news web-site, currently visited by more than 100,000 Thai web surfers on a daily basis, would be effectively gutted, given that much of its content is critical of the premier.
"We're not restricting mass media freedom, but we want to make sure that the premier's reputation is not further damaged by libellous statements," the lawyer said.
Dussadee Sinjermsiri, director-general of the Public Relations Department, also told all provincial cable TV operators to stop airing Sondhi's highly-controversial weekly TV shows, or else risk seeing their contracts suspended.
Attorney Thana also said the court order served to Sondhi covers another nine defendants named in libel suits, including Thai Day Dotcom Co as well as the Manager Daily newspaper. All these parties are barred from further disseminating Sondhi's criticisms of Thaksin via newspapers, television shows, video discs or the Internet .
The court is scheduled to hold its first hearing on the libel suits on February 8. In one of the suits, Bt1 billion in compensation is being demanded from Sondhi and his company for damaging the premier's reputation with an accusation that a multibillion-baht satellite contract had been awarded illegitimately by the government to a company controlled by Thaksin's family.
Meanwhile, Suraphong Seubwonglee, chief government spokesman, said that there had been no government order to shut down the Manager Group's news web-site, as was being widely speculated.
The web-site, which has been reporting an average of 115,000 UIPs per day, is currently the country's most popular source for news. "We're not going to do that [shut down the site] because that would further politicise ongoing issues," Suraphong said.
Bundit Wongwattanasin, managing director of Internet Solution and Service Co, which hosts www.manager.co.th, said he had received no official order to block the site.
"Previously, we have shut down web-sites that carry content seen as lese majeste, threatening to national security, or to be in contempt of religious beliefs, or that had a connection to the narcotics trade and the like. They will be shut down as soon as we get an official order.
"But in the case of manager.co.th, we're not sure which agency has the authority. I think it's probably the court. Secondly, we could be sued by the client if the site is shut down illegally," Bundit said.
However, a key member of the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party who asked not to be named said the premier's lawyer had asked the court to bar the Manager group's web-site from disseminating libellous accusations against the prime minister.
Suranand Vejjajiva, the PM's Office minister, said he had ordered the Public Relations Department to take action against provincial cable TV operators who fail to abide by the law. "I've received many complaints about the controversial TV shows. Everyone has to abide by the law otherwise I'd be abusing my authority," he said.
Yesterday's concerted court and government actions against Manager Group's Sondhi seemed to have come hot on the heels of a senior military officer's request for the Manager newspaper founder to stop referring to the monarchy in his conflicts with Thaksin.
In a letter signed by Maj-General Prin Suwannathat, commander of the 1st Infantry Division of the Royal Guard, Sondhi was told that he had inappropriately cited the monarchy while attacking Thaksin.
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