There has recently been an increase in violence at protest sites in Bangkok, and riot police have responded with increased use of rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas.
Police Colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen, the deputy national police spokesperson, met with senior members of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Thursday morning to discuss protocols the foreign and local press should observe when covering the unrest.
The police are requesting that journalists wear white armbands to identify themselves at protests.
Journalists and freelancers working for foreign media organisations can also apply for a press armband from the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) by submitting details here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfitYLMe8nJp42UXn0jrqLJMFFPXFHDlARo3yjN7DRCEyjMHQ/viewform
Applicants accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will need to provide evidence of that to the TJA. Others may provide a letter of assignment from the news organization they represent. The completed form should be emailed to the TJA at tjareporter@gmail.com after which collection details will be provided.
The professional membership of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand welcomes the justifiable concerns of the Royal Thai Police for public safety, including for that of members of Thailand’s large local and foreign press corps. It also commends the TJA for its good offices and responsible initiatives at a very difficult time for the nation.
The overall picture remains concerning, however. Armbands offer no physical protection and can indeed be used for identification purposes by other parties, some possibly malign. Anybody who chooses to wear them should therefore be reminded that they can be a double-edged sword. Ultimately, journalists and the people they report to must make their own decisions about what to cover, where to go and what to wear. Safety should remain the paramount concern.
The professional membership of the FCCT would also like to take this opportunity to remind that the right of journalists to reasonable protection in political and military conflict zones is severely compromised in Thailand by outdated and unreasonable regulations governing the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) – that includes Kevlar helmets, flak jackets and other forms of body armour, gas masks and various safety items incorrectly deemed by the Thai authorities to be military materiel.
These are all in fact simply items of safety equipment when used by people who are not bearing weapons and not involved in violent insurrection.
The FCCT has lobbied for years for reform of the 1987 Arms Control Act, but to no avail. Mostly these efforts have been behind the scenes and theyhave fallen on deaf ears. An FCCT letter on the subject to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha sent on Dec. 20, 2020, was at least answered by the government spokesperson, but he offered nothing.
The letter sent to the prime minister noted that Thailand is not alone in restricting the use of PPE in conflict zones, but it is probably unique in prosecuting journalists for carrying such equipment.
Three journalists have been detained and two charged by police in recent years under the 1987 law. Attempts by some FCCT members to procure PPE licenses through channels suggested to them by officials have invariably failed.
It is well known how extremely difficult it is to change laws in Thailand, however outdated and obstructive to progress some may be. It is far easier to adjust the rules governing their enforcement, which is what the FCCT has been lobbying for.
The FCCT therefore again requests as a starting point an immediate waiver from the Ministry of Defence on the prohibition against PPE for accredited TV crews, reporters, photographers and interpreters, both local and foreign.
It also again requests that a small official working group from the government and Ministry of Defence meet with members of the FCCT’s Professional Committee to find ways to facilitate licensing/end user certification for PPE by media, and procedures for its proper registration with Thai authorities. This would include reviewing examples of best practice in other countries.
Journalists have been killed and wounded in earlier incidents in Thailand. In September 1985, two foreign correspondents died from severe shrapnel wounds as a result of uncontrolled firing by rebel tanks in the course of an unsuccessful coup attempt.
In the course of 2010, two more foreign journalists died while covering serious political unrest on the streets of the capital. As in 1985, both were killed by military fire. During the May 1992 political uprising, nearly 40 journalists – mostly local – were wounded in a three-day period, some seriously.
The need for reasonable and prudent protection applies equally to paramedics and others compelled to work in dangerous situations.
It should also be noted that some foreign media based in Thailand travel to conflict regions elsewhere, so this is not a purely domestic issue. The need for PPE is in fact confined to a small proportion of working journalists, and those individuals are often compelled to use it for corporate insurance compliance.
Ideally, there will be no need for PPE and peaceful solutions will be found to Thailand’s current political woes, but prudence demands adequate preparation for more difficult scenarios.
20 August 2021
Stay Connected With FCCT
Join our mailing list or visit our events page to see what’s coming up at the club.
