France · Khaosod
Thailand’s RSF Press Freedom Ranking Is Falling — and Should Be Even Lower Next Year
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On Sunday afternoon, this writer received a surprising phone call from France, from exiled Thai political dissident Jaran Ditapichai.
Key facts
- The 78-year-old Jaran has lived many lives: university student in France, communist insurgent in Thailand during the 1970s, detainee of the Burmese junta for distributing pro-democracy leaflets in Yangon, national human rights
- Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its 2026 World Press Freedom Index last week, and Thailand’s ranking among 180 countries fell from 85th to 92nd.
- I reckon that next year, the scores for Thailand in the 2027 annual World Press Freedom Index should be lower because of this reason and other new factors, particularly the use of SLAPP against two editors at The Isaan Record recently,
- Jaran told me he called to offer words of support on World Press Freedom Day, observed on 3 May, which fell on a Sunday this year
Summary
The 78-year-old Jaran has lived many lives: university student in France, communist insurgent in Thailand during the 1970s, detainee of the Burmese junta for distributing pro-democracy leaflets in Yangon, national human rights commissioner, redshirt co-leader, and now political dissident fleeing lèse-majesté charges since 2014.
Jaran told me he called to offer words of support on World Press Freedom Day, observed on 3 May, which fell on a Sunday this year. I asked how many Thai journalists he admired he had called that day. Was it more than six? He said three.