The New York Times Company | The Associated Press
The New York Times’ oft-cited mission to report the news without fear or favor has repeatedly run afoul of a government that’s using both.
For the third time in as many months, a printer in Thailand has refused to publish an item from The International New York Times that mentions the country’s monarchy — a topic The Associated Press calls “highly sensitive” in the wake of a military takeover:
After a military junta took power last year, it declared that defending the monarchy was one of its priorities, but also cracked down on criticism of its rule, saying it was necessary to do so to prevent disorder. The army seized power after a period of sometimes-violent political turbulence that affected Thailand after an earlier military takeover in 2006.
Reporters as well as media managers have been summoned by the military for talks, sometimes lasting for days, called “attitude adjustment” sessions. Many of those summoned have been forced to sign statements promising not to criticize the junta.
Friday’s edition of The International New York Times in Thailand contains a blank space in the paper’s opinion page where a column critical of Thailand’s Crown Property Bureau should have gone. That comes just days after the printer refused to publish an article about “the country’s sagging economy and spirit” and months after an article about the monarchy was censored.
The New York Times underscored in a statement Thursday that the decisions illustrate strictures on press freedom in Thailand:
This second incident in a week clearly demonstrates the regrettable lack of press freedom in the country. Readers in Thailand do not have full and open access to journalism, a fundamental right that should be afforded to all citizens.
All three items are widely available online, although authorities in Thailand are reportedly considering a measure that would allow the government to filter Internet traffic to and from the country.
