National —
On August 16th, 2024, Thai PBS, a Thai news agency, issued an official statement condemning an incident where one of its reporters was allegedly assaulted/harassed by Palang Pracharath Party leader Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon. General Prawit, however, insists it was just teasing and a joke.
The incident occurred during a press event at the Olympic Committee of Thailand, where the reporter asked about the recent election of Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the 31st Thai Prime Minister.
In response, Gen. Prawit allegedly lightly struck the reporter on the head and dismissed the question with, “What kind of questions are these?”
According to Thai PBS’s statement, the news agency described the act as an unacceptable form of physical harassment that undermines the safety and dignity of journalists. The organization called for Gen. Prawit to take responsibility and urged national media associations to establish measures to protect press freedom.
In response, Gen. Prawit, through Gen. Nat Intaracharoen, a former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, conveyed that the incident was unintentional through a direct to the news agency in question. Gen. Prawit later personally stated that he had no ill intentions, explaining that he often jokes and teases familiar reporters, according to Thai national media.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
