Australian journalist Alan Morison and his Phuketwan colleague Chutima Sidasathian exposed the plight of the Rohingya, so why are they now on trial and facing seven years in a Thai jail for reporting the truth?
Alan thought he was winding down to retirement when he moved to Phuket in 2002, but as soon as he became aware of the Rohingya's plight he had to act.
Ironically it was the Thai Navy, which now wants Alan and Chutima convicted, that first tipped them off to the Rohyinga crisis.
So concerned was the Navy about the influx of Rohingya, they even sent them photos of the refugees detained in long rows under armed guard.
Then as Alan and Chutima pursued the story, they uncovered the notorious policy of pushing refugee boats back into international waters without proper power.
''It pushed me, 'Hey this is a very good story','' Chutima tells Amos Roberts on Tuesday's Dateline. ''We have to do something, we have to help them.''
They wrote the story for their tourism news website, Phuketwan, and it was soon picked up by major media organisations. The plight of the Rohyinga fleeing persecution in Myanmar soon became global news.
Years later, a Pulitzer-prize winning article from Reuters delivered the disturbing news that some in the Thai military forces were profiting from people smugglers.
Alan and Chutima included a 41 word paragraph from the Reuters investigation in one of their stories, and it's that paragraph that has seen them on trial on charges of computer crimes and defaming the Royal Thai Navy. Reuters has not been charged.
''Is there a free press in Thailand?'' Alan is asked. ''No, that's the problem,'' he replies.
Amos spends day and night with them as they prepare for court and then he attends the trial.
He records the toll it takes on both Alan and Chutima as they contemplate the prospect of seven years in jail, just for doing their job as journalists.
''It would mean death for me at my age,'' Alan says. See the full story on Tuesday at 9.30pm on SBS.
Watch the Dateline documentary
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/story/thailands-moment-truth
Alan thought he was winding down to retirement when he moved to Phuket in 2002, but as soon as he became aware of the Rohingya's plight he had to act.
Ironically it was the Thai Navy, which now wants Alan and Chutima convicted, that first tipped them off to the Rohyinga crisis.
So concerned was the Navy about the influx of Rohingya, they even sent them photos of the refugees detained in long rows under armed guard.
Then as Alan and Chutima pursued the story, they uncovered the notorious policy of pushing refugee boats back into international waters without proper power.
''It pushed me, 'Hey this is a very good story','' Chutima tells Amos Roberts on Tuesday's Dateline. ''We have to do something, we have to help them.''
They wrote the story for their tourism news website, Phuketwan, and it was soon picked up by major media organisations. The plight of the Rohyinga fleeing persecution in Myanmar soon became global news.
Years later, a Pulitzer-prize winning article from Reuters delivered the disturbing news that some in the Thai military forces were profiting from people smugglers.
Alan and Chutima included a 41 word paragraph from the Reuters investigation in one of their stories, and it's that paragraph that has seen them on trial on charges of computer crimes and defaming the Royal Thai Navy. Reuters has not been charged.
''Is there a free press in Thailand?'' Alan is asked. ''No, that's the problem,'' he replies.
Amos spends day and night with them as they prepare for court and then he attends the trial.
He records the toll it takes on both Alan and Chutima as they contemplate the prospect of seven years in jail, just for doing their job as journalists.
''It would mean death for me at my age,'' Alan says. See the full story on Tuesday at 9.30pm on SBS.
Watch the Dateline documentary
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/story/thailands-moment-truth
Alan,
The SBS broadcast was interesting. Im not sure the part referring to "webmaster" should have been included considering the verdict is still a few days away. Nice bad of fruit and dog.
Sue, I was trying to identify which loyal PW supporter was you?
Posted by MoW on August 25, 2015 19:04
Editor Comment:
Sue turned up but may have craftily avoid the cameras. For some reason, the photos taken of the two of us together failed to turn out.
The ''webmaster'' aspect of the Computer Crimes Act is appalling.