Following two years of media censorship, junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha was listed as a “Predator of Press Freedom” alongside ISIS, Putin, and Kim Jong-Un in the latest report by Reporters without Borders (RSF).
RSF, an independent NGO that fights for freedom of information, recently released the list of 35 presidents, politicians, religious leaders and criminal organizations that attack, imprison or censor journalists.
The report called out Prayuth’s “brutal militarism” technique, saying the junta chief has cracked down on those who do not support his policies and criticize him.
“Prayuth Chan-ocha, Thailand’s junta chief and prime minister, has been gagging not only journalists, media outlets and bloggers, but also performers, intellectuals, academics and his political opponents ever since he introduced martial law in May 2014,” the report wrote.
He has imprisoned three journalists for criticizing him and made a public comment that he will “probably just execute” the journalists if they fail to adhere the official line.
Thailand has plummeted in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index. It was ranked 59th in the 2004 Index and is ranked 136th out of 180 countries this year.
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