Restricting press freedom during public administration during the COVID-19 emergency of Thailand: for national security or to silence the people

Abstract

An important mass media’s role is to present the truth, including but not limited to international and domestic situations, monitoring the conduct of government officials, and to be the voice of the people. Therefore, the freedom of the media is guaranteed by many democratic countries’ constitutions.  The media freedom is also stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  Thailand Prime Minister declared the emergency, purportedly to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, in the exercise of its power under the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situation B.E. 2548, effective March 26, 2020. By exercising its powers under Section 9 of the Decree, the government issued several measures to control the media that had the effect by reducing press freedoms and limiting the media’s role. This article aims to review the theory of freedom of the media, universal declaration,  international covenants, important laws relating to the rights to freedom of the media in Thailand, to criticize the measures of media control in government administration in the Covid-19 emergency situation in Thailand in terms of the theory of freedom of media used, the conflicts with the constitution, covenant, universal declaration, and the rule of law, and to express the suggestions and solutions for the use of power in emergency situations for media control.