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EIGHTY Thai and Myanmar NGOs have voiced their support for The Nation journalist Pratch Rujivanarom, who has been sued by a Thai mining company over a report about the environmental impacts of a tin mine affecting local people in Myanmar.
The
group of 80 human rights and environmental protection organisations led
by Reporters without Borders issued a joint statement yesterday urging
the Thai government to protect press freedom, decriminalise defamation,
and align the 2007 Computer Crime Act with international laws and
standards.
The groups also demanded that Myanmar Phongpipat Co
Ltd, the Thai mining company operating in Myanmar, withdraw all criminal
proceedings against Pratch and The Nation newspaper immediately.
On March 20, Myanmar Phongpipat filed suit against Pratch on allegations of defamation and violations of Computer Crime Act.
The company claimed that an article written by Pratch and published
in March regarding the impact of the company’s tin mine on villagers in
Myaung Pyo village in Myanmar’s Tanintharyi region damaged its
reputation.
In the complaint, the mining company said the
allegation that the mine had contaminated the river and water supply of
Myaung Pyo village was false and the mine had never discharged heavy
metals into the environment.
The water from the mine contained
safe levels of manganese, arsenic and lead, which would not harm
people’s heath according to international standards, the mining company
claimed.
Kriangkrai Chavaltanpipat, managing director of Myanmar
Phongpipat, filed suit against Pratch as the first defendant and The
Nation as the second for violations of the Criminal Code articles 59,
83, 91, 326 and 328, and Article 14 of Computer Crime Act in Nakhon
Pathom Court.
The Nation has tried to reach the mining company,
but the company’s lawyer declined to provide any other information
relating to the mining operation or the case.
The statement
signed by 24 Thai and 56 Myanmar NGOs said the charges against Pratch
were a vivid example of the use of overly broad criminal law to diminish
freedom of expression and intimidate the reporter.
The groups
also insisted that the lawsuit created a chilling effect for the media
and human rights defenders, and conflicted with Article 19 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Thailand
is a state party.
NGOs signing the joint statement included
Amnesty International, the Spirit in Education Movement, Earth Rights
International, TERRA, the Seub Nakasatien Foundation, the Karen
Environmental and Social Action Network, the Green Network Mergui
Archipelago and the Dawei Watch Foundation.
The Nation managing
editor Jintana Panyaarvudh also expressed her support for the NGOs’
statement and members of the public who shared concerns about media
freedom. She said Pratch had performed his duty as a journalist with
professionalism and honesty.
“Pratch reports information that
has significance for and for the benefit of the public because the
matter has affected the environment and people’s quality of life,” she
said.
The Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) has listed the case
as the 49th use of Article 14 of the Computer Crime Act to silence
journalists and activists.
Nakhon Pathom Court will conduct a preliminary examination of the case on July 17.
Source - TheNation
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