Representatives of the red-shirt Peace TV on Thursday lodged a petition with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha seeking justice over the station's licence and asking him to reconsider the decision to revoke it.
Thanawut Wichaidit, executive director of Peace Television Co, and seven staff members took the letter for the chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to the Government House complaints centre at the adjacent Office of the Civil Service Commission. A senior official received the letter on Gen Prayut’s behalf.
Mr Thanawut said losing the licence had cost more than 100 people their jobs and affected their families. He urged Gen Prayut to use his power as NCPO chief to discuss the issue with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.
He said despite Gen Prayut telling Thai ambassadors and consuls-general overseas that the junta would work under democratic principles, the blocking of Peace TV — a communications channel for Thais to receive information — was undemocratic.
He was referring to the address given by Gen Prayut at the annual meeting of ambassadors and consuls-general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
“I want to ask the NBTC if their resolution is fair to us or if they received a special order [to ban Peace TV] from anyone,” Mr Thanawut said.
The Peace TV executive pledged to continue to lodge complaints with other concerned agencies and bring the issue to the international community if the station's licence is not restored.
The NBTC on Monday revoked the licence of the red-shirt station for broadcasting content which it said "could stir up unrest". Previously, the NBTC's committee suspended its licence for seven days from April 10-17.
UDD chairman Jatuporn Prompan denied causing divisions and threatened to take the media regulators to court for unplugging the station.