| Prachatai | |
| Native Name: | ประชาไท |
| Native Name Lang: | th |
| Founders: | --> |
| Defunct: | --> |
| Type: | Nonprofit |
| Vat Id: | (for European organizations) --> |
| Status: | Nonprofit foundation (The Foundation for Community Educational Media) |
| Focus: | --> |
| Location City: | Bangkok |
| Location Country: | Thailand |
| Area Served: | or |
| Region: | --> |
| Product: | --> |
| Method: | --> |
| Field: | --> |
| Languages: | --> |
| Owners: | --> |
| Leader Title: | General Manager |
| Leader Name: | Pongpan Chumjai |
| Leader Title2: | Editor-in-chief |
| Leader Name2: | Tewarit Maneechay |
| Publication: | --> |
| Parent Organisation: | --> |
| Former Name: | --> |
Prachatai (Thai: ประชาไท,) is an independent non-profit online newspaper in Thailand. Focusing on news from and commentary on NGOs, social movements, and human rights issues, the website became an alternative source for social and political news in a country where many media outlets are state backed, including military-run, or for-profit.[1] Its current editor-in-chief is Tewarit Maneechay, with Pongpan Chumjai serving as general manager. The site publishes mainly in the Thai language, with selected articles in English.
The newspaper was established in June 2004 by a group of concerned Thais who included a senior member of the Press Council of Thailand, a well-known lecturer in journalism, two members of the Thai Senate, a number of senior journalists, and a number of Thai NGO leaders. On September 6, 2004, Prachatai began daily online publication. In January 2006, it registered as a non-profit foundation, named The Foundation for Community Educational Media.[2] It has four stated objectives:
Prachatai, together with other selected Thai independent media (Budpage, Same Sky, Midnight University, Open, and Questionmark), was collectively curated as "Thai Bookazine" to participate in The Magazines project of the Documenta 12 exhibition.[3] [4]
In 2011, its then general manager, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, won the Courage in Journalism award from International Women's Media Foundation.[5] Chiranuch, a well-known free speech advocate, has been subject to arrest and detention based on lèse majesté accusations for not removing what authorities deem offensive material quickly enough[6] from the website. In this matter, she has received international acclaim and support.[7] On 30 May 2012, the Criminal Court delivered its verdict in Black Case No. 1667/2553, in which Chiranuch faced ten alleged violations of the 2007 Computer Crimes Act, being found guilty of one charge and being sentenced to one year in prison and a 30,000 baht fine, subsequently reduced to a suspended sentence of eight months and a 20,000 baht fine.[8] Chiranuch appealed to both the Appeals Court and the Supreme Court, both of which upheld the sentence (the latter in 2015), establishing the precedent that Internet intermediaries are liable for lèse majesté content in Thailand.[9]
In July 2016, one of Prachatai
Prachatai website has published special content since 2016.
| Year | Person | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Naritsarawan Keawnopparat | [12] | |
| 2017 | Social Healthcare Interest Group | [13] | |
| 2018 | RAP AGAINST DICTATORSHIP | [14] | |
| 2019 | Political Refugee Group Faiyen Somsak Jeamteerasakul Jaran Ditapichai Surachai Danwattananusorn | [15] | |
| 2020 | Tiwagorn Withiton | [16] | |
| 2021 | Worawan Sae-Aung "Pa Pao"[17] | [18] |