The Struggle for Freedom of Expression in Thailand: Media Moguls, the King, Citizen Rights and the Law

Time: 17.00-19.00

Venue: Centre of South East Asian Studies, G52, Main Building, Russell Square, SOAS

Speaker: Professor Peter Leyland (London Metropolitan)

Abstract

The right to free expression was included as an important element of both the 1997 and 2007 Thai constitutions and from a constitutional stand point free speech is widely regarded as a principle of fundamental importance in establishing conditions in which democratic government can flourish. However, in practice this right has been compromised in a number of different ways in Thailand. For example, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was able to use his wealth combined with political power to dominate the principal media outlets of television broadcasting, the press and telecommunications. On the other hand, since the military coup in 2006 the authorities and forces loyal to the king have increasingly invoked the lèse-majesté law and more recently the Computer Crime Act 2007 to silence opposition and suppress political debate. In this talk after setting out the constitutional context there will be a critical discussion of the application of the lèse-majesté law and of attempts to regulate the media under the current constitution.

Biography

Peter Leyland currently Professor of Public Law at London Metropolitan University and visiting Professor at SOAS has published widely in the field ofUK constitutional and administrative law, comparative constitutional law and on many aspects of Thailand's constitutional system. As well as many other books on constitutional and administrative law Peter has written the first volume on the Constitution of the United Kingdom (2007) in the Hart series 'Constitutional Systems of the World', which he co-edits with Professor Andrew Harding. He is a visiting professor at the universities of Bologna,Padua, Ferrara and Bocconi (Milan) in Italy; at the National Development Administration, the Council of State and the Administrative Courts in Thailand; and at the University of Victoria in Canada. Together with Andrew Harding he is currently writing a book on Thailand's constitutional system