Published on August 17, 2005

Some may say the Bangkok Post deserves it. Our “rival” possibly does; we have received some letters saying so. But the point is it could have happened over here, too. We don’t know what was behind that runway Suvarnabhumi Airport runway “cracks” report, which has brought about an amazing defamation lawsuit from the government and an imminent Bt1-billion civil complaint.

It just appears that our Post fellows have made the mistake that all of us in the news business know we are equally capable of making.

We here would have left the matter alone had it been the Post against an individual, or the private sector. But the staggering legal offensive by the Thaksin government is bad news for the entire media community. (There are those who think The Nation is treating this as “good news” and can barely hide its delight. Well, we can’t help what other people think.) When a newspaper reports about a potential construction problem concerning a project which is of utmost public interest, quickly retracts the story when it becomes obvious that it was a misunderstanding, and yet still faces a Bt1-billion bill in damages, this is a story in itself.

To begin with, Suvarnabhumi is one of the world’s most scandalous airport projects. All reporters can testify that new allegations surface on virtually a daily basis. The biggest one, of course, concerns the purchase of the CTX bomb-scanning machines, an issue that has yet to go away despite obvious state attempts to sweep it under the carpet. Naturally, journalists have been keeping an eye on the airport.

The watchdog has become overly vigilant and agitated, so to speak, since the overall project involves more than Bt100 billion in taxpayers’ money.

Which brings us to an interesting point. Who’s the real damaged party when it comes to the airport’s reputation or construction problems? Who owns the airport? Who should be worried about its image? Is it the Airports of Thailand and New Bangkok International Airport, which are demanding a worldwide apology from the Bangkok Post in every major international newspaper and television network?

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra should answer this question as well: who does he think “owns” the airport? The next time he goes on television or addresses the nation on his weekly radio programme, he must clarify this one crucial thing: do the taxpayers own Suvarnabhumi?

If his answer is “yes”, then there are more questions for him. Who should decide if the Bangkok Post should be sued? Who is entitled to say that this kind of journalistic mistake deserves a Bt1-billion payment?

Do taxpayers want the media to keep quiet about any rumours and gossip concerning this airport project until they have solid proof, or would taxpayers like to see the watchdog barking at everything in sight because this project has been so fishy? Should false alarms keep ringing, or does everyone prefer the silence unless the real fire breaks out?

Last but not least, should taxpayers sue Airports of Thailand and New Bangkok International Airport over the CTX scandal? Should taxpayers be asked which is more damaging to their interests and Thailand’s image – the CTX bribery allegations or the runway “cracks” report, which was immediately retracted?

Should taxpayers sue the government – which failed to act on signs of corruption or irregularities until the media exposed them, but was so furious and swift when it came to the alleged runway cracks – for a detrimentally poor sense of priorities?

If the Bangkok Post deserves to pay Bt1 billion for falsely reporting that one of the Suvarnabhumi runways had cracks, how much should the US Justice Department pay for going on record that there was reason to believe the procurement of the CTX machines may have been marred by bribery efforts? Why didn’t Thaksin sue the US Department of Justice?

Why does his government choose to lash out at the media every time corruption charges surface, while failing to act with the same vehemence and ferocity against officials suspected of ripping off taxpayers?

We journalists all know that exposing corruption is a hit-and-miss feat. Newspapers can easily get carried away, and defamation lawsuits are a good tool to counterbalance the press.

This is not meant to protect bad journalism or demand blanket immunity or total licence to slander.

It’s a travesty of justice that the Thaksin administration is demanding Bt1 billion to paper over cracks that are not there, while ignoring the real cracks through which taxpayers’ money, the country’s reputation and political integrity are being sucked out.

Tulsathit Taptim

The Nation

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