Journalists in Thai Navy defamation case ‘disappointed’ in Reuters’ response
Phuketwan journalists Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian. Pic: Phuketwan.com.
Two Phuketwan journalists were charged today with defaming the Thai Navy, and face seven years in prison and a $3,000 fine if convicted. A Thai Navy captain brought charges against Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian after they republished a paragraph from a Reuters story accusing Thai officials of being involved in a human trafficking operation that exploits Rohingya refugees from Burma. Morison, who is Australian, is Phuketwan’s editor and Chutima is a reporter. The Reuters story was part of a series that won journalists Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall a Pulitzer Prize earlier this week.