Thai Politician Investigated After Slapping Female Reporter for Question

Post by : Elena Malik

Photo : X

Bangkok, Thailand: Thailand’s parliament has announced an investigation into veteran politician and former army chief Prawit Wongsuwon following an incident where he was filmed slapping a journalist. The altercation occurred as Wongsuwon, the leader of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), was leaving a building after being questioned by ThaiPBS reporter Duangthip Yiamphop about the new prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

The confrontation, which took place on Friday, was captured on video and shared widely on social media. In the footage, the 79-year-old Wongsuwon is seen striking Yiamphop several times on the head while demanding, “What are you asking? What? What?” The incident has sparked outrage and led to a formal complaint being filed by the journalist, prompting the Thai parliament to initiate an investigation.

A user on X (formerly Twitter) described the video, stating, “A politician is surrounded by journalists while walking down a corridor when one of them asks him a question. Instead of answering, he raises his hand and slaps her in the head several times before climbing into his vehicle and driving away.”

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Prawit Wongsuwon, who served as Thailand’s army chief in the early 2000s and was a key figure in the 2014 coup that ousted then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, was also deputy prime minister under the military-backed government that ruled until last year.

In response to the incident gaining traction online, a PPRP party spokesman stated that Wongsuwon knew the journalist personally and had apologized. The spokesman claimed that the senior politician was “teasing her as someone who he is close to” and that there was “no bad intention” behind his actions.

Despite this, the Thai parliament has pledged to investigate the matter further following the formal complaint. The Thai Journalists Association has condemned Wongsuwon’s actions as “violence against a journalist,” criticizing them as threatening and harassing towards press freedoms. The association emphasized that such behavior undermines the rights and freedom of the press.

In a related response, Thai PBS has called for Wongsuwon to "take responsibility for his alleged attempts to intimidate a reporter." Noppadol Srihatai, the executive editor of ThaiPBS, stated, “He was seen hurting a reporter, and we cannot accept it. As a public organization, we must protect journalists' rights so that media work won’t be affected in the future.”

The investigation is ongoing, and the fallout from the incident continues to unfold as it garners significant attention both nationally and internationally.

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