B101bn damages sought from iTV

Station charged with concession breach

PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN & ANUCHA CHAROENPO

The public prosecution yesterday charged iTV Plc in court with breaching a concession contract to operate the iTV station, now renamed TITV. In the indictment filed in the Administrative Court by Banlang Pinsakol, the prosecutor in charge of administrative cases, iTV Plc was accused of a concession contract breach causing damage worth 101 billion baht to the state.

According to Mr Banlang, the damage claim in the case is the highest ever accepted for consideration by the Administrative Court.

The 101-billion-baht damage claim consists of 2.8 billion baht in overdue concession fees plus interest of 571 million baht, and a fine of 97.76 billion baht plus a 7.5% interest rate.

The fine was imposed because iTV had changed programme content without permission from the state, and because it failed to hand over broadcast equipment to the state.

On July 3, 1995, the Prime Minister's Office granted iTV Plc a 30-year concession to run a UHF television station. It recently revoked the concession after iTV failed to pay overdue concession fees and fines.

Meanwhile, civic groups are seeking talks with Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont on the setting up of public television stations that are truly independent of political and business influence.

Rosana Tositrakul, head of the Anti-Corruption Network of 30 NGOs, said a discussion should be held after a hearing on April 5 on how TITV should be restructured for greater independence.

Ms Rosana said the government could make TITV the country's first public television station to show it sincerely wanted to rid the mass media of undue influence.

She was speaking at a seminar on Public Television: Is It an Intellectual Quest of the People?, organised by the National Health Foundation yesterday.

The government should not wait for the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to pass the Public Broadcasting Organisation bill before setting up a public television station.

The NLA's legislative process was time-consuming, and she was uncertain whether the bill would materialise if left in the hands of NLA members.

Reform advocate Prawase Wasi criticised the government for not showing a clear stance on the issue of public television and the media.

He said he had proposed several ways to make this happen but his proposal fell on deaf ears.

''We have prepared everything for this government, but it doesn't know how to proceed with it,'' Dr Prawase said.

''Independent media will be an effective tool for democratic progress,'' he said.

Somkiat Tangkitvanich, a Thailand Development Research Institute researcher who helped draft the bill, said it was time the country had commercial-free television and media.

People have become aware of their right to receive information unhindered. He said the bill suggested ways in which public television could be financed, including tax and donations.

Bangkok Post

Saturday March 31, 2007