Today’s edition of The International New York Times was printed with blank spaces, including on the front page, after the local printer refused to publish an article critical of the Thai economy.
It is the second time in the last 10 weeks that the paper has said its local printer declined to run an article in a country where media freedoms have been increasingly curtailed since last year’s military takeover.
Today’s newspaper was supposed to carry a report headlined “Thai economy and spirits are sagging”, a wide-ranging piece exploring the junta’s inability to kickstart the flagging economy and the disappointment felt among many ordinary Thais.
Instead chunks of the front page and page six were blank and carried the sentence: “The article in this space was removed by our printer in Thailand. The International New York Times and its editorial staff had no role in its removal.”
A spokeswoman for the paper gave the same reply when asked for comment.
Eastern Printing Pcl, the paper’s Thai printer, did not comment on why it pulled the piece when contacted. The article was still accessible online in Thailand.
On Sept. 22 Eastern Printing did not publish the entire newspaper because it said the edition was “too sensitive to print”.
Today’s piece primarily centred on the stuttering economy.
Thailand has one of the lowest growth rates in Southeast Asia and the junta’s vow to reinvigorate the economy has shown little progress in a country blighted by high household debt, low consumer confidence and disappointing exports.
Earlier this month The International New York Times said it would cease printing in Thailand altogether by the end of the year, citing rising production costs.
It is still available in six other Southeast Asian nations: Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar.
Story: AFP. Photo by Twitter user Yury
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