Chinese businessman wanted to shutter local media house to ‘please’ Beijing

From the Thai Enquirer 

The Chinese government will continue to try and increase their control over Thai media, the founder of a Thai student publishing house which said that a Chinese businessman tried to buy them out told Thai Enquirer. 

“China has been influencing Thailand for a long time now and their attempt to try and buy our small publication made me think how many news agencies in Thailand have already been supported by China which is why they do not dare to speak about Chinese issues,” said Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, a pro-democracy activist and founder of the Sam Yan Press.

“We thought about staying silence on the matter because it was risky but if we remain silence, people will not know about this attempt to control a Thai publication by China and the need for Thai press to be free from influences from abroad,” he said.

The publication, which translated and published many books that were critical to Beijing’s human rights records include those of political dissidents in China such as Liu Xiobo and Ilham Tohti, said in a series of tweets and a statement that they were approached by an investigator from a private investigation company in Bangkok which has a Chinese client who wanted to offer the publication 2 million Baht for them to shut down.

The investigator claimed that the Chinese businessman wanted Sam Yan Press to shut down to show his influence in Thailand for the Chinese government to see, the publication said.

The investigator also said in an email with the offer that the publication should shut down before the National Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 20^th congress which took place between October 16 and 22.

Sam Yan Press have released a series of emails between the publication and the investigator between May 5 and October 2 that was seen by Thai Enquirer which include the name of the representative, the name of the company that he claimed to represent and his phone number as evidence for their claims.

Continues at

https://www.thaienquirer.com/45477/chinese-businessman-wanted-to-shutter-local-media-house-to-please-recently-held-ccp-meeting-in-beijing/

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The Bangkok Post is also investigating aspects of this story.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2424310/cops-look-at-pubs-ties-to-china-groups