Freedom of the Press in Thailand Page: 2
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2
newspapers depended on whatever the government wanted the
public to know. Most of the news the newspaper got was
usually dated. Newspapers in the early days were not as
effective and interesting as today. Virginia Thompson
described the press role during the monarchy period:
Often the king's speech reached the press
a week after its delivery, and notice of the
arrival of foreign emissaries came to the paper
some time after their departure. Obviously, in
the early days, public opinion was so embryonic,
and the press so insignificant a vehicle, that
the government did not other to keep it either
informed or suppressed.
The first and only press law before 1919 was a libel
law that provided for jail sentences of up to three years
and fines of up to 1,500 baht ($75) for publications judged
to involve defamation of the royal family, contempt of the
law, or incitement to revolt.5
During the period of King Rama VI (1910-1925), an
attitude toward the press in Thailand as a means of dissem-
inating the official and authoritative words had changed
because of the educational expansion. The king himself
would write articles in his newspaper to castigate any opinions
of which he disapproved. The Thai press during this period
was very free and became more aware of its functions in
informing the public on international and national news.
Virginia Thomson, Thailand, The New Siam, (New York,
1941), p. 791.
5Mitchell, p. 215.
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Sangchan, Dangtoi. Freedom of the Press in Thailand, thesis, December 1976; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc663236/m1/5/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .