Thirty media bodies in Thailand marked World Press Freedom day on Wednesday by calling on the military government to scrap legislation that seeks to tighten control of news reporting in the Southeast Asian country. "The bill is essentially designed to facilitate political interference in the media and restrict pressfreedom," the Thai media organizations said in a joint statement. Thailand's military government, which took power in a bloodless 2014 coup, has attracted international criticism for curbing free speech and threatening press freedom. The media is "an important part of the government's work", Prayuth told reporters at an event to mark World Press Freedom Day. Read: Media Freedom: CPJ slams Mexico for failing to protect journalists

Source: The Star May 03, 2017 17:03 UTC