Amnesty International Thailand organized the 2019 Media Awards on Wednesday 22^nd January 2020 between 13:30 hr. and 16:00 hr.at the Galaxy 1 Room, 10^th Floor, the AVANI Riverside Bangkok. The four award categories were: print media; online media; television (long reports); and television (short reports).

Somchai Homla-or, adviser to Amnesty International, explained that the event was organized out of respect for the role of the media in observing human rights principles and creating awareness of human rights in society. The event honours and supports the media by presenting awards for work that not only protects and respects but also promotes human rights. The event also encourages the media to continue presenting stories relating to human rights issues and universal human values.

Somchai noted that the judging panel for the awards brings together leading experts on human rights and media issues. The winners of the Media Awards 2019 are as follows: 

In the report and feature story in the print media category, an honourable mention with a plaque and 10,000 baht prize was given to Sarakadee Magazine for its feature story “Unbizarre society, the non-existence of the disabled population”.

For the report and feature story in the online media category, a plaque and 30,000 baht prize were awarded for the article “The forgotten Thai workers in Israel” to the BBC Thai website; and to 101.world website for “The faceless country, the landless people and the endeavour to reinstate humanity through the meaning of “nation”. Honourable mentions together with plaques and 10,000 baht prizes were given to The Isaander website for “The life and struggle of the poor in Sai Thong National Park”; the Prachatai website for “What we see and want to walk past fast ... 'the homeless with mental health problems' … how could they live and who looks after them?”; the Pepperoni News website for “From a police officer during the War on Drugs to death-row inmate”; and the Isaan Record website for “Anti-potash demonstrations in Sakon Nakhon, the victory that has yet to come”.

In the category for TV documentary or news documentary (total length not more than 20 minutes), plaques and 30,000baht prizes were awarded to Workpoint TV for its report “SLAPP, judicial harassment to silence critics”. Honourable mentions together with plaques and 10,000 baht prizes were given to Thai PBS for “Propagation of the right to the Moken burial grounds;to PPTV for “The unraveling of the case of Si Quey, alleged cannibal”; and PPTV for “The rough sleepers”.

In the category for TV documentary or news documentary (total length no more than 60 minutes), plaques and 30,000baht prizes were awarded to the Perd Pom programme on Thai PBS for its report “The DNA-SIM card saga and double jeopardy”;and to the San Tang Ton program on PPTV for its report “The return of Billy”. An honourable mention together with a plaque and 10,000 baht prize was given to the Big Story programme on Thai PBS for its report “Imprisoned for forest encroachment”; and on Thai PBS for its report “Refugees in the Shadows”

There were also speeches on “Journalism is not a crime” by Dr. Phansasiri Kularb, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, and Suchanee Cloitre, a former Voice TV reporter who has been subjected to judicial harassment.

Piyanut Kotsan, director of Amnesty International Thailand gave the closing remarks, thanking the media for their continuing work in presenting human rights issues.

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For more information, please contact Naowarat Suesa-ard, Media and Communications Coordinator

Mobile: 089-922-9585, Email: media@amnesty.or.th

ID LINE: nong539081 

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