Footage of HM must not be aired: Prem
Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda told a meeting of royal advisers yesterday that broadcasts of His Majesty the King giving advice in the wake of the Black May incident of 1992 should be stopped because the footage was being used to support opposing positions, a source said.
Television stations over the past week have broadcast an excerpt from HM the King offering advice to then prime minister General Suchinda Kraprayoon and Chamlong Srimuang, who had led a street demonstration demanding Suchinda's resignation. On Sunday night, all stations under the Television Pool of Thailand (TPT) broadcast footage of the historic royal audience. At yesterday's meeting, Prem expressed concern that although the re-broadcast of the footage was aimed at urging both sides to reconcile, it appeared this would not work as each side was interpreting the message to support its position, the source said. The Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary, however, said in a statement yesterday that media organisations had the right to broadcast the footage, but they also had to take responsibility for any consequences. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Monday that the Royal Household Bureau had asked the government to coordinate with the TPT to broadcast the footage. However, Deputy Premier Chidchai Vanasatidya, who oversees security, said he did not know who had ordered the TPT to broadcast the footage.
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