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Thai Journalists Association (TJA) president Wanchai Wongmeechai, who attended the seminar on the media regulation bill hosted by Thai Chamber of Commerce University, said he had learned from insiders that the committee would not revise the proposal concerning the media licensing authority.

Under the bill, authority would be passed to a new Media Professional Council as that is what the committee had set their minds on, he said. However, the groups would closely watch the committees moves and take action as necessary, Wanchai added.

Controversial legislation

The proposed legislation has become a highly controversial issue since the committee planned to submit it to the NRSA for endorsement last week. Media organisations, including the TJA and the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA), strongly opposed the bill when they heard about its contents.

The media groups challenged two main points, the first of which was the composition of the proposed Media Professional Council, which would see at least four permanent secretaries from concerned ministries sit alongside media representatives and academics. The groups see this as a loophole for state intervention in the media.

The other bone of contention is the media licensing system, which the groups believe will lead to control of the media.

On Thursday, the media groups representatives submitted a letter to the NRSA vice chairman Alongkorn Ponlaboot, conveying their opposition. This resulted in the NRSA whips telling the committee to withdraw the bill for review and revision before resubmitting it.

TBJA chairman Thepchai Yong said the implications of the bill would be more far-reaching than people thought, as it would give power to the state, political sector and capitalists to control the media under the proposed council.

Vague definition

Thepchai said the proposed licensing system was vague in its definition. He urged media members to watch developments and help push for changes as the current suspension cannot ensure that the bill will be revised to facilitate press freedom.

The NRSA members, he said, should deliberate the bill carefully so that it would not eventually put media control in the hands of the state and politicians.

Former reformer from the now-defunct National Reform Council (NRC), Jumpol Rodkamdee, said |the NRC drafted a similar bill but with the principle of supporting press freedom and allowing media members to shape self-regulation. Their bill also proposed the same council but with different composition, including certified members of the media, to facilitate self-regulation.

The seminar heard various proposals for the revision of the latest bill, including a tri-party memorandum of understanding, including the academic and civil sectors, to help the media reform and regulate.

A civil-based council was proposed to replace the one proposed in the bill, so people would have more say in helping regulate the media.

Read more:
Media set to keep up its fight on regulation - The Nation