Australian and Thai journalists on trial for human trafficking report

An Australian website editor and his reporter colleague faced criminal defamation charges in a Thai court on Tuesday for reporting on Thai naval officers’ alleged involvement in the trafficking of Burmese Rohingya migrants.

Alan Morison, editor of independent news website Phuketwan, and reporter Chutima Sidasathian face up to seven years in jail and thousands of US dollars in fines if found guilty.

Speaking to the Guardian just before he entered court, Morison, 67, called the trial “a vindictive reaction on the part of one or two officers” and said the case – widely condemned by human rights and media freedom groups – has damaged Thailand’s reputation.

“It’s uncharacteristic of the Thai navy, which is an honourable organisation,” he said. “I could have stayed in Australia and not fought this case,” he added. “But I’m afraid nearly 50 years in journalism has told me not to run.”

The court was packed with international media and observers. The Australian embassy had also sent officials to the trial. A video-link was set up to a separate room as the courtroom was too small to accommodate everyone.

The trial will last three days, during which members of the Thai navy will testify, after which the judge will have 30 days to give a verdict.

Morison has closed down his website for the trial. A note on the site says: “Our reporting on vital matters about Phuket and Thailand will come to an end next week and may never resume.”

Rights advocacy group PEN American Center, said the “government of Thailand should refocus its energies on curbing collusion in human rights abuses by members of its own navy, rather than frivolous attempts to camouflage them by shackling the press.”

The defamation claims and charges under the Computer Crime Act, which bans online material considered a threat to national security, relate to a 41-word paragraph from a Reuters news agency report on Rohingya refugees, which was republished in Phuketwan.