It seems Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Co, are single-handedly making Thailand as sue-happy as America. He currently has multiple (civil and criminal) lawsuits pending against various media figures.

The first lawsuit, filed last year, was lodged by Thaksin's own Shin Corp against media reform activist Supinya Klangnarong. Shin Corp is demanding 400 million baht in the civil case, alleging that Ms. Supinya had defamed the corporation by publishing comments that the company's profits had soared since Thaksin had taken office, and that certain government policies represented a conflict of interest, as they had directly benefited the PM's private businesses.

The second lawsuit has been filed by Thaksin himself, against Sondhi Limthongkul, journalist Sarosha Pornudomsak and Sodhi's company Thai Day. This libel suit alleges that the two, who were hosts of a now cancelled daily talk show, accused the PM of being less than respectful to HM the King in an incident involving the appointment of an 'acting' Supreme Patriarch (for the Thai Buddhist Sangha). The PM is seeking 500 million baht in damages.

The third lawsuit, and in my opinion, by far the best, Thaksin is again suing Sondhi Limthongkul, and his paper the Manager Daily for 500 million baht for publishing a defamatory letter from revered monk, Luangta Maha Bua. The monk's sermon, which was given in public as well as published in the paper, accuses the current administration of being rife with corruption and 'conflicts of interest'. The great part is that although the PM continuously denies that these lawsuits are politically motivated attacks on the media, he has refused to name the monk as a defendant in this case. That's right, they're suing the paper for publishing a public sermon, but not the Monk who gave it. Luangtha Bua, once a supporter of the PM, has dared Thaksin to sue him. Thaksin has apparently come out and said he will not sue the monk, because, in his own words, "He was kind to me before, so I'm going to be kind to him".

The monk has the right to petition the courts to be added as a defendant in the case, though it remains to be seen how this will be played out. Suing a revered monk would be a public relations disaster for Thaksin, and it would serve him right if Luangtha Bua added himself to the case.

PM Thaksin has continually played down the significance of these cases, saying they are 'no big deal'. He would do well to reconsider his position on that, though. Considering a not to distant incident involving buzzers used to censure questions at a press conference, Thaksin has been consistently demonstrating that he is a bit of a sissy when it comes to criticism. Someone needs to remind him that in a democracy, elected officials are subject to press scrutiny as a matter of accountability. He may also be grossly overestimating the extent to which the Thai media and public can be cowed by authority. If Thaksin wins these lawsuits, it will set a dangerous precedent leading to repression of the free media. It may salve his bruised pride, but it certianly won't win him any friends.

In Ms Supinya's case, her defense is that A, her comments were true, and B, Shin Corp's reputation didn't actually suffer as a result. Supinya has refused to back down, and her legal fees are being payed through public donations to a campaign in her support. If Thaksin or Shin Corp expect that intimidation alone will silence critics, they should consider the consequences if they lose. A verdict in Supinya's favor is tantamount to the courts agreeing that Shin Corp has unfairly benefited from Thaksin's policies. If a similar situation had occured in the US, Bush and his cronies would immediately implement a public relations campaign, and no adviser in his right mind would suggest a lawsuit that could result in a verdict implicating corruption. Perhaps Thaksin's confidence is not in his own righteousness, but in the courts themselves?

The same is true of the lawsuit against the Manager Daily. The prosecution claims the Manager 'manipulated' the monk's comments. But did they fail to consider that the monk himself could be called as a witness for the defense, to testify to the truth of said comments? Having a man considered to be a saint testify against you in a court of law must be like the fourth level of hell for most politicians - but not Thaksin!

As for Limthongkul, he has sued the state owned Mass Communications Authority of Thailand, which cancelled his program claiming he had expressed biased and insulting viewpoints. He is suing them for the amount of 1 baht. A move which will only further highlight the fact that Thaksin is an insultingly wealthy robber baron who thinks he can use his money to either buy people, or scare them into submission.

Shawn Crispin, a consultant to the Committee to Protect Journalists, testified recently in Supinya's defense. He cited specific examples of how Shin Corp benefitted from certian policies under Thaksin's government. He also testified to the court that international media organizations are concerned over the decline in press freedoms since Thaksin has taken office. That might not seem like too significant a statement, except when you consider that Thaksin has taken office not far on the heels of successive military dictatorships.

Links:
Thaksin Sues Media Baron
Thai PM sues newspaper publisher
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/69741/
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=29266