THAILAND’S NEXT EISENHOWER FELLOW
(A “Heads Up” to my Friends in the Media)

Kenan Institute Asia Offices, Queen Sirikit Convention Center, Bangkok (November 15, 2006) When I compare myself to Thailand’s next Eisenhower Fellow, I have to admit, I am humbled.

After all, what am I but a lawyer and lobbyist for business and economic interests, stumbling around the Orient, trying to make sense of broad trends in urbanism and economic development?


For those reading this in the United States, get ready to meet Supinya Klangnarong.

She is an articulate young advocate for a free press and against concentration of media ownership. And she is an unabashed spokesperson for democratic ideals in a country that, to some these days, might seem a bit ambivalent on that score.

Khun Supinya (“Khun,” by the way, is the unisex Thai honorific for both men and women – sort of an all-purpose equivalent to “Mr.” “Miss” or “Mrs.") has the singular distinction of having been sued for libel to the tune of $14 million by the Shin Corporation – the media conglomerate controlled at the time by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Her crime? Daring to speak critically in the Thai Post of the corporation and the Prime Minister.

The events leading up to the recent military coup swirled with allegations that the Shin Corporation was marred by conflicts of interest and had profited from government policies. Supinya, a soft-spoken charming young woman, spoke out, publicly and effectively, about the propriety of actions taken by company.

There followed a true “David and Goliath” battle, in which Supinya was slapped with a $14 million lawsuit and potential criminal liability that carried a 2-year jail term, all at the hands of a mega-corporation with millions of dollars and a phalanx of lawyers at its disposal.On her side, however, she had potent allies – the strength of her convictions in a free press, the good faith in which she reported her story, and a groundwell of public opinion to boot.

The lawsuit quickly became a public relations nightmare for Thaksin. It ended with the Shin Corporation losing the criminal case, dismissing its civil lawsuit and, along with its army of lawyers, slinking away under the cover of night, hoping the whole thing would blow over.

It did not.

Khun Supinya’s saga became one more straw on the straining back of the camel that ultimately led to the collapse of the Thaksin government.

After seeing Thaksin turned out of office by a military coup, one might expect Supinya to be pleased that her situation helped lead to a change in leadership.

Not exactly.

“Understandable, but not acceptable,” she explained at recent dinner party that Kay and I attended, hosted by another Eisenhower fellow Khun Rapee Sucharitakul at his home in Bangkok. Her point was that the democratic process should have been allowed to work and the military should not have intervened – no matter how well-intentioned the effort may have been.

These were the same sentiments she had voiced at the reception held at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence several nights before – an event to recognize both her and me as Eisenhower fellows (although, in fairness, I should note that it was she, and not I, the attendees were there to see).

Her remarks at the event were made all the more significant by the fact that one of the King’s Privy Council members served as the master of ceremonies (for more of the King’s role in Thai society and government, read my ruminations on the subject in an upcoming post).

Khun Supinya will travel to the United States in March of 2007 on an Eisenhower Fellowship.

So to my friends Melanie Sill, Jordy Whichard, John Bussian and Mark Prak – and to all those at my old alma mater, the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication, take note. I have attempted to explain to Khun Supinya that North Carolina has a distinctive role in the history of journalism in the United States, having fathered some of the great voices in the U.S. media. And I have told her of our state’s dynamic Fourth Estate.

If we are lucky, we may be able to persuade her to visit North Carolina when she comes to the States.

If that comes to pass, I think you will find her a graceful and inspiring figure and a kindred spirit.