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Against the Closure of the BBC Thai Service









To: The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom




October 22, 2005




Dear Ambassador Fall




Subject: Protest against the closure of the BBC Thai Service









The Foreign Office and the Board of the BBC World Service are considering the closure of the BBC Thai Service.









We are very alarmed and as a result we would like to express our opposition to the closure. Our reasons are as follows:









1. The BBC Thai Service has, for over half a century contributed a great deal to its Thai audience and to Thai society as a whole. It provides a valuable source of reliable news, knowledge and intellect-enhancing information. Therefore, the closure of this service will be equivalent to the closure of these sources.









2. In the circumstance of the current situation, in which the freedom of media and the freedom of expression amongst Thai people have been threatened and access to information has been barred, whilst the Thai society is in crisis, the BBC Thai Service is a pivotal resource for Thai people. It is totally indispensable for Thai people who wish to gain access to reliable news and information, particularly in sensitive areas that can easily disturb the feelings of the public. Hence, the closure of the Thai service will be detrimental to the information accessed by the public.









3. The BBC Thai Services broadcasts on Thailands relations with its neighbours, including Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia, also helps Thai people to understand their neighbours in a broader perspective, which in turn, will strengthen people-to-people relations further. In short, the BBC Thai service plays a very important role towards developing healthy relations among people in this region.