The Statement by Campaign Popular Media Reform (CPMR)
iTV’s future must be free TV,
not the media under the government control
According to the news, the PM's Office Minister Khunying Dhipava-dee Meksawan said after the cabinet conference involving the consideration to have the concession revocation from iTV company (public) limited and approve the state to administrate iTV station. The Cabinet considered the dispute following the contract of iTV station operation between the Office of Prime Minister (OPM) and iTV company (public) limited. The resolution is that if its license is revoked as a result of it being unable to pay fines and fees of Bt102.21 billion by the March 6 deadline. Also, the government will take back the air wave to be the state property immediately. Meanwhile, the license revocation will take effect immediately on March 7 and the committee will be in place to ensure a smooth transition and take care of technical, legal, financial and human resource aspects.
Campaign for Popular Media Reform (CPMR) is afraid that this condition will lead to transform iTV station which is now the private media to be state media which is politically dependent. Besides, the state media will allow the private sector to operate the business based on discrimination, without the regulation of free and fair competition like other television media of the state in the present.
iTV station is founded in accordance with the May 1992 (2535 BE) incident. The concept is to form the private television station with independent from the state power. However, in the past six years the former intention of iTV has absolutely changed. Then, the resolution of iTV is supposed to be reformed to be the free television channel that composed of truly independent structure from the state power, not turning to be the media under state authority again.
CPMR disagrees that the government will take the possession of iTV and allow the PM’s office to manage. Consequently, it will result in the control of editorial and iTV direction. On the other words, that is precisely the media intervention. Moreover, the government did not declare the social contract to the society obviously in order to retrieve iTV to be free TV.
CPMR, therefore, sees that the resolution of the Council of Ministers contains hidden agendas and reflects that the government does not have a strong determination to have media reform. It is only the means to use the opportunity and political power due to the control and administration of iTV by changing the new executive structure from private company to state office which is PM’s Office. That will bring about the confusion and the overlapping the media regulations in Thai society tremendously.
In this respect, the government which is the institute to be responsible for the media, or the regulator, will step up to be the private media executives, or the operator. That will conflict the academic principle, the media reform intention, and affect the people rights and freedom.
In the period of iTV transference, the government needs to give the social contract to reform iTV in the following methods:
1) To insist iTV to be the private media on the basis of competition rule with freedom and fairness to allocate a new concession, or 2) to reform iTV in the structure of public media with independent form state power and managed by civil society section or public sector directly.
The proposals for the urgent situation of CPMR are:
1. The government must take time for the iTV transference about 4-6 months while permission the airing in the same structure without state interference in the editorial.
2. The government must open the forum for every part to propose the solution for iTV and open the space in the government media for people to have the referendum regarding the iTV future during the next 4-6 months.
3. The government needs to gather the proposals and suggestion of iTV reform in order to push to be a political party’s policy. Then, the elected government can carry on the format of iTV reform to be free TV when supported by the media business sector and the people.
Campaign for Popular Media Reform (CPMR)
February 27, 2007
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