More lawsuits as PM's lawyer defends action
 The Nation
November 19, 2005 - Prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's lawsuits against media tycoon and critic Sondhi Limthongkul are not part of a government policy to intimidate the media, and he will file another suit next week, the premier's lawyer said yesterday.
Thana Benjathikul, the premier's principal lawyer, said the media had the right to criticise as long as they did not damage or intrude upon private life.
"People think the premier bullies the media, but actually it's the premier who has been bullied, so he has to seek help from the courts," Thana said.
He said Thaksin had filed the latest lawsuit as a personal action and would next week file a libel lawsuit with the Criminal Court covering the same issues as the suit he filed on Thursday with the Civil Court, demanding Bt1 billion in compensation from Sondhi Limthongkul and his media company.
The suit claims the premier's reputation was tarnished by an accusation that a multibillion-baht satellite contract was awarded illegally by the government to a company controlled by Thaksin's family. The court has ordered Sondhi to stop making defamatory remarks about Thaksin.
Meanwhile lawyers for Sondhi are preparing a number of counter-suits, including an appeal against the gag order.
Sondhi's defence team says it will fight Thaksin in the civil, criminal and administrative courts and will also charge PM's Office Minister Suranand Vejjajiva and other government officials with invasion of media freedom.
"Whenever Thaksin is out of the country, something happens to the media," lead defence lawyer Suwat Apaisak said yesterday.
As Thaksin left to attend the Apec meeting in South Korea this week, his lawyer filed the suit to gag Sondhi and demand payment of Bt1 billion in damages for defamation, he said.
During an earlier Thaksin trip, Sondhi's talk show, "Muang Thai Rai Sapda", was taken off the air by Channel 9.
With the counter-suits the priority is to appeal against Thursday's court order preventing Sondhi from commenting unfavourably on Thaksin via public forums, video CDs or the Internet, Suwat said.
Sondhi is expected to lodge his appeal next week.
The gag order, if enforced, will effectively block Manager Group's news website, which is filled with anti-Thaksin content.
Suwat said Sondhi would fight the ban against the cable broadcast of his mobile talk shows by bring?ing criminal and administrative charges against Suranand and offi?cials of the Public Relations Department.
Separate suits will be filed with the Criminal Court and the Administrative Court against the unfair enforcement of broadcasting rules to selectively block only Sondhi's programmes, he said.
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