Supinya Klangnarong (born 1976) is a Thai media rights advocate and current vice-chair of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform (CPMR). A graduate of
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...
, she holds a
BA from the Faculty of Communication Arts, an
MA from the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at
Thammasat University
Thammasat University ( Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the Grand Pala ...
and an MA in Communication Policy and Regulations from the
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Augu ...
.
She previously served as secretary-general of the CPMR from 2003-2008 and was co-founder and coordinator o
Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT)from 2006-2009. Supinya now serving as a coordinator for the Thai Netizen Network (TNN)], an Internet rights group.
Supinya has been selected to serve in September 2011 as a media expert to Thailand’s
(NBTC). The commission oversees all public and private media outlets.
2020–Present, Co-founder, Cofact Thailand & Digital Thinkers Forum
Supinya joined the
People's Alliance for Democracy
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD; th, พันธมิตรประชาชนเพื่อประชาธิปไตย, Phanthamit Prachachon Pheu Prachathipatai; commonly known as "Yellow Shirts") is a Thai reactionary, m ...
(PAD), anti-Thaksin movement in 2006. When PAD revived in 2008, Supinya refused to join them, she has also been criticised by the members of PAD.
On 16 July 2003, the ''
Thai Post
''Thai Post'' ( th, ไทยโพสต์) is a daily Thai-language newspaper in Thailand. It is owned by the Thai Journal Group Co. Its circulation is in the 100,000-150,000 range. Currently the HQ is in Klong Toei, Bangkok.
Political ...
'', a
Thai-language daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...
, published comments from Supinya who said that
Shin Corporation
Intouch Holdings PCL ( th, บริษัท อินทัช โฮลดิ้งส์ จำกัด (มหาชน); formerly Shin Corporation) is a Thai holding company which focuses on telecommunication industry. It is the parent c ...
, then majority-owned by the family of Thai Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra ( th, ทักษิณ ชินวัตร; ; ; Chinese: 丘達新; cnr, Taksin Šinavatra; born 26 July 1949), is a Thai businessman, politician and visiting professor. He served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, ...
, had benefited from favorable policies by the Thaksin government. The Shin Corporation filed a criminal libel lawsuit over the article, naming Supinya and the paper as co-defendants. In addition, Shin filed a civil suit seeking 400 million
baht
The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-most ...
in compensation. After the
Thaksin family sold its shares in Shin Corporation to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
's
Temasek Holdings
Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited, or simply Temasek, is a Singaporean state holding company owned by the Government of Singapore. Incorporated on 25 June 1974, Temasek owns and manages a total of US$496.59 billion (S$671 billion) in assets u ...
, the company offered to drop the lawsuit on the condition that Supinya apologize for her comments. Supinya refused the offer.
On 14 March 2006, the Criminal Court threw out the criminal lawsuit, saying the article in the ''Thai Post'' was presented in good faith and in the public's best interest. On 8 May 2006, Shin Corporation asked that the civil lawsuit be withdrawn. Neither Supinya nor ''Thai Post'' had any objections, and the civil suit was dropped.
The cases were the subject of the 2007
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independe ...
documentary film, ''The Truth Be Told: The Cases Against Supinya Klangnarong'', filmed over the course of nearly three years and directed by
Pimpaka Towira Pimpaka Towira ( th, พิมพกา โตวิระ) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter and film producer. Her films include ''One Night Husband'', ''The Truth Be Told: The Cases Against Supinya Klangnarong'' and ''The Island F ...
.
Delaying the truth
, ''The Nation (Thailand)''; retrieved 2007-12-03
During military rule following a bloodless coup d’etat on 19 September 2006, Supinya was arrested for storming Thailand's Parliament house along with 50 others, including former senator Jon Ungpakorn. She charged that the military-appointed National Legislative Assembly was in the process of passing numerous repressive, unconstitutional and antidemocratic laws, including the Computer Crimes Act, the Printing Act, the Film Act and the Internal Security Act, all in 2007. This case has still not gone to trial.
References
*Bangprapa, Mongkol and Charoenpo, Anucha (March 15, 2006
"Supinya lauds 'the public's victory'"
''Bangkok Post
The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amou ...
''.
"Media critic acquitted in defamation suit by PM's former telecom firm"
''The Nation
''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's ''The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
'' (March 15, 2006).
*Wolff, Ismail (March 15, 2006)
"Court acquits Supinya, 'Thai Post'"
'' International Herald Tribune/ThaiDay''.
"Shin drops civil suit against Supinya"
'' International Herald Tribune/ThaiDay'' (May 9, 2006).
"Witness Statement"
provided by ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression. The statement outlines international standards on defamation including general principles on freedom of expression
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klangnarong, Supinya
Living people
Supinya Klangnarong
Supinya Klangnarong
Intouch Holdings
Supinya Klangnarong
Supinya Klangnarong
Supinya Klangnarong
Women human rights activists
1976 births