Media Reform in Thailand

The development of Thailand's media order is currently shaped by an intense reform process and at the same time by the ubiquitous convergence phenomenon. Thai commentators are raising questions about the regulation of contents, especially regarding the lèse-majèste law, supposed to be the strictest worldwide, but also e.g. concerning the allocation of broadcasting frequencies or how to deal with thousands of yet unlicensed community radio stations. Even the role of the public broadcasting station ThaiPBS, which was established in 2008, is being considered. The design of the media order will play a central role on the path out of political instability. 

On the invitation and with the support of the National Telecommunications Commission, the Hans Bredow Institute is committing its expertise in media law to enhance the widespread debate on media politics. This means that the Institute is cooperating with the two major universities in Bangkok (Chulalongkorn and Thammasat), among others, as well as with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Thailand. Conferences and workshops are also planned to provide systematic working papers in the future. Fundamental questions of media structuring have been discussed and complemented with insights from German experience with regulation.

Beyond this individual case, the Institute is exploiting the opportunity to further develop its experience in transferring expertise in an international context and in comparative analyses of regulatory structures.