Newspaper & Mailroom

Editors Meet with Thai Prime Minister

Friday 29. April 2011 - Editors from across Asia have have met with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva following Thailand's cease-fire with Cambodia in a border clash over land surrounding a disputed 900-year-old temple.

“The talks today say they’ll be stopped and if anything happens, there will be contact. That’s a change over the three or four days previous, where there has been little communication,” the prime minister said.
The meeting with about 30 editors was organised by the Asian Editors Forum and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), which includes the World Editors Forum, on the sidelines of the Publish Asia conference being held in Bangkok this week. More than 500 newspaper professionals from 53 countries are attending the event.
“I believe if there are no clashes for a considerable period of time – 24 hours, 48 hours – I think they’ll begin to talk specifics about how the soldiers on both sides should be positioned,” the Prime Minister told the group.
The meeting came hours after a cease-fire on Thursday following seven days of fighting in which at least 15 people were killed.
Mr Abhisit met for almost an hour with the journalists. Though the clashes dominated the discussion, he also spoke about elections scheduled for May. Asked about his party’s chances of victory, he said: “anyone who can predict the election results with confidence is lying. It will be a close race.”
Later, speaking at the WAN-IFRA Asia Media Awards dinner, the prime minister spoke of the importance of a free and independent press to democracy. “Upholding media freedom upholds our commitment to democracy in Thailand,” he said.
Publish Asia, dedicated to “driving future proof media growth,” continues Friday.