Who Controls Thailand's Media?

Listening Post examines the twists and turns of the Thai political story playing out in a factionalised media landscape.



When demonstrators demanding that Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra be ousted took to the streets of Bangkok they took their protest to six key rally points: six state-owned TV stations where they demanded that their messages be broadcast. Five conceded.

The current prime minister is the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, a one-time cable TV magnate who was prime minister until he was deposed in a coup in 2006.

In 2010, his supporters took to the streets to demand his return - he was in exile but used his media holdings to beam messages to Thailand and call people out onto the streets.

This time the unrest has been spearheaded by a group called the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), which says Prime Minister Shinawatra is just a puppet of her brother.