From Aussie Observer over at The Nation blog:
Nation Group cuts a deal to escape legal entanglements and said sorry on a Thaksin corruption charge
Thaksin saved billions on the new Suvarnabhumi airport construction but was wrongly accused of stealing billions....
Nation Group published an apology for getting a report of Thaksin corruption wrong, according to Thai E News, a popular internet democratic-oriented news agency.
“It is laughable that a story that won the best report prize of the mainstream press’ most important award of excellence in its “report of the year award,” is having to apologise today that there were no corruption involved as the Nation Group reported,” said Thai E News.
In the apology, Nation Group, said a host of mistakes including several wrong interpretations of English language communications between several of the parties suspected of corruptions, were innocently made. Nation Group, publishes the English language Nation newspaper among others, and have a profitable English language learning courses related businesses going.
This is hilarious. Hey, if you can't read the English documents, just make the shit up and interpret it anyway you want.
The opposition Democrat Party, also used the Nation Group reporting as the basis for a 20 hour blistering no-confident censure debate in parliament that forced Thaksin to remove his close friend and supporter, Suriya, off the important communications minister post.
The case is significant, according to Thai E news because the case, TCX, flamed the anti-Thaksin sentiments across Thailand, as the Nation Group, kept running the TCX story in a series as a major story, that got most of the press in Bangkok following its suit. Thaksin eventually was kicked out of office by a coup that accused Thaksin of massive corruption scandal everywhere.
The TCX case followed another case of corruption charges, that the local press built up and followed rabidly, that finally proved baseless, which is about a duty free operation at the airport.
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Here is the link to the story in Thai.
The bloggers over at The Nation are demanding answers. The Yoonster's silence is deafening. The Yoonster never apologizes for his lies. Is it my imagination or does The Nation never offer corrections to its stories? Most honest newspapers with ethical standards have a correction's section.
Controlling and narrowing civil society
1 week ago
14 comments:
The manufactured scandal caused the airport's opening to be delayed a year. Causing untold damage to the economy.
I guess it doesn't really matter though. In the end, it flamed the crisis at a critical time and gave the junta the "evidence" it needed to execute the coup. And that's what it's all about, isn't it?
because of the huge damage to Thailand that ensued the publishing of this story
concerned citizens of Thailand should consider what options there are for making sure the media does not cause such damage again
personally I wonder if a class action lawsuit could sue for massive damages... are there any precedents in Thailand for this?
I wonder if Thai citizens in other countries could sue in their countries for damages to themselves and their families?clutters
Do you know what Nation misreported?
it was the story in 2005 about the CTX baggage scanners that were ordered for the airport
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_in_the_Suvarnabhumi_Airport_project
at the time there was a big witchhunt for all the missing money
turns out the Nation reporters made mistakes in translating the english documents
I wonder whether the people that have learnt english from the nation group are now wondering if they dont understand what they are reading either... should have gone to a different school!
Calm down ye Reds! All you so guillible Reds could be rejoicing for another April fool joke and the fools are guess who?
I myself would find it grotesque, unconscionable and contemptible if this piece of 'Nation apology' news is true. But it is so farfetched as to be ridiculous.
Because if true, this would be big international news gentle-reds! Every journalist from every corner of the world would be tearing NationGroup to pieces by this time, if true.
But the source of this article is dubious and the news probably spurious.
But continue your rejoicing naive guillible Reds. Thaksin fooled you many times. So why not a stupid rumour monger prowling the Thai internet fool you too?
Vichai-
Krungthep Turakij published an apology. What more do you want as proof?
http://www.bangkokbiznews.com/2008/09/22/news_27278542.php?news_id=27278542
Fonzi if your crap about Nation Group's crap (whose crap is crapper, I wonder?) is not crap, Bangkok Pundit himself would have republished the crap, right?
And the website you referred me to -
http://www.bangkokbiznews.com/2008/09/22/news_272
is dead . . . or crap.
Vichai-
I just checked the link. It seems to be working.
Here is the first paragraph.
It sounds like an apology to me for publishing lies.
หนังสือพิมพ์รายวันกรุงเทพธุรกิจ และนายจักรกฤษ เพิ่มพูน โดยตำแหน่งบรรณาธิการผู้พิมพ์ผู้โฆษณา ใคร่ขอโทษ บริษัท แพทริออท บิซิเนส คอนซัลแตนส์ จำกัด และนายวรพจน์ ยศะทัตต์ หรือที่เรียกในข่าวว่า "เสี่ยเช" ที่ได้เสนอข่าวผิดพลาดเกินความจริง จนทำให้เกิดความเสียหายต่อกิจการ และชื่อเสียง จากการที่หนังสือพิมพ์รายวันกรุงเทพธุรกิจ และจากเว็บไซต์ www.bangkokbiznews.com/2005/special/ctx ของหนังสือพิมพ์กรุงเทพธุรกิจ ได้ตีพิมพ์ข่าวและวิเคราะห์ข่าวในวันที่ 25 เมษายน 14 พฤษภาคม และ 16 พฤษภาคม 2548 เป็นต้น ได้ลงข่าวในหน้าหนังสือพิมพ์และเว็บไซต์อย่างต่อเนื่อง อันเป็นความเข้าใจผิดและวิเคราะห์ข่าว หรือสรุปข่าวคลาดเคลื่อนจากความเป็นจริง
http://www.bangkokbiznews.com/2008/09/22/news_27278542.php?news_id=27278542
We are very confused indeed. We mentioned the news "without confirmation" on our webpage, warning it could be a very huge fake. but we cannot get any positive or negative confirmation about it. Would someone please try to clarify this?
www.schoenes-thailand.de
Vichai N, left a comment on the post "The Nation Group's Crap Reporting on Airport CTX S...":
As Fonzi noted, the Nation has published the apology that the Court ordered.
http://www.bangkokbiznews.com/2008/09/22/news_27278542.php?news_id=27278542
As you say, it is "grotesque, unconscionable and contemptible" that this "piece of 'Nation apology' news is true." It "is so farfetched as to be ridiculous."
I also was concerned that the news could have been a hoax...
I assume you have read the apology, so what do you think now?
do you agree that it is "grotesque, unconscionable and contemptible" that the Nation failed the Thai people with this story?
even though the Nation is well known for its anti-Thaksin bias, to publish badly researched lies as fact not just once, they pursued a whole campaign and inspired other media to pick up and run with the incorrect story, is an incredible action
and it was all based on what I think was wilful misreading of the evidence, its totally reprehensible and should be subject to significant punishment.
I presume the Nation's aim of publishing "their" story was to increase their circulation and to soften the will of the people so they did not protest strongly enough when the September 2006 coup actually happened. They seem to have softened minds so much that some are still soft!
Fortunately the majority of Thai people recovered and, despite huge efforts by the CNS/military, they voted in the government they want and, at the recent rally, resolved to resist any new coup!
The question is what can we do now?
Firstly, because you recognise what a terrible action by the Nation this was:
you should spread the news in your community so that some of your friends can begin to realise that everything they read and are told should at least be treated with healthy scepticism and questions asked about evidence,
everyone should ask themselves all the time if what they are told is really true!
While you are doing that I suggest you also read the commentary in the Bangkok Post Forum, politics, Law is Law where the recent Land case ruling is analysed,
ponder the actions of the court in considering whether the FIDF is a government or an independent juristic entity and
also the statement of another potential bidder that the price paid by Khun Potjaman was too high over the book and market value.
Meanwhile, I agree that the international media should catch up and castigate the Nation, it is a blot on the Thai people that believed the story, it is also a blot on the media that one of their members should be so unethical and cause so much damage to so many people.
Of course in the world today, we are besieged with messages and we have to accept that the media are all biassed, primarily toward the benefit of upper class, conservative parts of society. The worst example, much as I love and am concerned for Thailand I think the USA media has done more damage by supporting the Bush-invented War on Terror and the Iraq War (should be called the Wars to Control Energy Supplies).
There are very few small independent media left in the world. The mainstream media are owned by upper classes that have their own reasons for suppressing minorities and lower classes for their business and personal benefit that they dress up as "the national or even international" benefit.
Even if we raise the profile of the Nations's crime it remains to be seen if the media old boys are willing to make anything significant of the misdeeds of one of their own, but we should try, for all of our benefit!
You thought the fact this is not (yet) "big international news gentle-reds! Every journalist from every corner of the world would be tearing NationGroup to pieces by this time," perhaps indicates the story is not true.
Unfortunately, in this world there are lots of things that are not true and yet people believe them, who really cares unless it affects other people badly...
The majority of Thai people would like the PAD, who seem to believe they can convince people of all sorts of lies or unsubstantiated "facts" and court cases that either a really flakey or have not manged to get to court yet...., will just fade away and will vote for their favourite policies in elections like ordinary people.
Vichai N, left a comment on the post "The Nation Group's Crap Reporting on Airport CTX S...":
As Fonzi noted, the Nation has published the apology that the Court ordered.
http://www.bangkokbiznews.com/2008/09/22/news_27278542.php?news_id=27278542
As you say, it is "grotesque, unconscionable and contemptible" that this "piece of 'Nation apology' news is true." It "is so farfetched as to be ridiculous."
I also was concerned that the news could have been a hoax...
I assume you have read the apology, so what do you think now?
do you agree that it is "grotesque, unconscionable and contemptible" that the Nation failed the Thai people with this story?
even though the Nation is well known for its anti-Thaksin bias, to publish badly researched lies as fact not just once, they pursued a whole campaign and inspired other media to pick up and run with the incorrect story, is an incredible action
and it was all based on what I think was wilful misreading of the evidence, its totally reprehensible and should be subject to significant punishment.
I presume the Nation's aim of publishing "their" story was to increase their circulation and to soften the will of the people so they did not protest strongly enough when the September 2006 coup actually happened. They seem to have softened minds so much that some are still soft!
Fortunately the majority of Thai people recovered and, despite huge efforts by the CNS/military, they voted in the government they want and, at the recent rally, resolved to resist any new coup!
The question is what can we do now?
Firstly, because you recognise what a terrible action by the Nation this was:
you should spread the news in your community so that some of your friends can begin to realise that everything they read and are told should at least be treated with healthy scepticism and questions asked about evidence,
everyone should ask themselves all the time if what they are told is really true!
While you are doing that I suggest you also read the commentary in the Bangkok Post Forum, politics, Law is Law where the recent Land case ruling is analysed,
ponder the actions of the court in considering whether the FIDF is a government or an independent juristic entity and
also the statement of another potential bidder that the price paid by Khun Potjaman was too high over the book and market value.
Meanwhile, I agree that the international media should catch up and castigate the Nation, it is a blot on the Thai people that believed the story, it is also a blot on the media that one of their members should be so unethical and cause so much damage to so many people.
Of course in the world today, we are besieged with messages and we have to accept that the media are all biassed, primarily toward the benefit of upper class, conservative parts of society. The worst example, much as I love and am concerned for Thailand I think the USA media has done more damage by supporting the Bush-invented War on Terror and the Iraq War (should be called the Wars to Control Energy Supplies).
There are very few small independent media left in the world. The mainstream media are owned by upper classes that have their own reasons for suppressing minorities and lower classes for their business and personal benefit that they dress up as "the national or even international" benefit.
Even if we raise the profile of the Nations's crime it remains to be seen if the media old boys are willing to make anything significant of the misdeeds of one of their own, but we should try, for all of our benefit!
You thought the fact this is not (yet) "big international news gentle-reds! Every journalist from every corner of the world would be tearing NationGroup to pieces by this time," perhaps indicates the story is not true.
Unfortunately, in this world there are lots of things that are not true and yet people believe them, who really cares unless it affects other people badly...
The majority of Thai people would like the PAD, who seem to believe they can convince people of all sorts of lies or unsubstantiated "facts" and court cases that either a really flakey or have not manged to get to court yet...., will just fade away and will vote for their favourite policies in elections like ordinary people.
Vichai..... where are you?????
I thought you were really concerned by this Nation misreporting?????
can we enlist your support to make sure this doesnt happen again?
The very strange about this case is, you do not hear anything from neither side.
The Nation is not denying nor does the Thaksin lawyers distribute a press release.
What the hell is going on? To make a bigger story out of it as a foreign blog, one need some sort of statement released by someone in English, who can be contacted and asked about details.
Or may be someone should explain in English the content of the excuse and describe the role of each one mentioned in the case.
does anyone knows the reaction of the legal system on this letter? If it not a fake, it should result in some consequences.
I believe Thaksin was getting to cozy with China in the sights of America/UK. They needed to get rid of him one way or the other.
If I remember correct the CTX issue started it all. After that, corruption issues exploded. Sondhi saw this as an opportune time to overthrow the government.
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