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By Saksith Saiyasombut

A media monitoring group set up by Thailands opposition Democrat Party in order to flag news coverage deemed too favorable to the current government recalls the hawkish tendencies towards state media control during their rule between 2009-2011, further fueled by the history of the leader of this media monitoring group.

Satit Wongnongtoey, Democrat Party MP and former Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand. (Picture by The Official Site of The Prime Minister of Thailand Photo 2009, licensed under CC)

The Nation reported on Tuesday:

The Democrat Party has set up a media-monitoring group to be led by Trang province MP Sathit Wongnongtoey. He urged the public to monitor changes closely at Channel 9 and television hosts such as Sorrayuth Suthasnachinda of Channel 3, as well as newspapers, for what he claims is biased reporting in favour of the Pheu Thai-led government.

Sorrayuth failed to explore the details of the national-reconciliation bills in his reporting, while Channel 9 had continually attacked the Constitution Courts order to delay the House deliberation on constitutional amendment, Sathit said.If the party finds a media organisation that is not reporting well-rounded information, it will provide that organisation with information and ask it to disseminate it, he said.

Democrats to monitor pro-Pheu Thai media coverage, The Nation, June 5, 2012

Furthermore, another Democrat MP cites the changes at MCOT, a state-owned media organization that owns dozens of radio stations and the Modernine TV channel (formerly Channel 9). Its president was sackedover poor performance in October last year and replaced by Chakrapan Yomchinda, a former MP of Thaksins Thai Rak Thai Party. He then moved aside last May to pave the way for current president Premkamon Tinnakorn Na Ayutthaya, who reportedly hasclose ties to Thaksin.

The fact that this media monitoring group, established to keep an eye on any news that is not in their favor, is headed by none other thanSathit Wongnongtoey, is somehow revealing about the mindset of some, if not many, in the opposition party. During his tenure as Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister under the administration of Abhisit Vejjajiva, Sathit left a trail of knee-jerk reactions and gaffes behind him as he interfered with Thailands media landscape.

Since the Minister to the PMs Office also oversees the state media outlets of MCOT and NBT, the government has some vital tools to get their message across the airwaves. Ever since the political crisis of recent years, these outlets have essentially become propaganda machines for whoever is government. Sathit went all out in 2009 to use this to counter everything by Thaksin and the red shirts, while already establishing a total disregard for media freedom early on.

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Thailand’s Democrat Party to hawkishly monitor media like it’s 2009