Reuters stands by Rohingya refugees story

David Crundwell (photo), Reuters corporate affairs vice-president, said in an e-mail that “we’re aware that a captain in the navy filed a criminal complaint against Reuters and two Reuters journalists, Stuart Grudgings and Jason Szep, arising out of the Rohingya coverage, and that the complaint alleges violations of the Computer Crimes Act”.

Crundwell told the Bangkok Post that, if necessary, Reuters would vigorously defend its story, along with its right to publish. “Based on our understanding, the complaint is under review by the authorities, but we have not been charged. If necessary we will defend our story, along with our right to publish, vigorously (when charged),” he said.

The Thai Navy filed complaints against two online media journalists in the resort town of Phuket - Alan Morison, an Australian, and Chutima Sidasthien, who is Thai - last October. They have been charged with defaming the Thai Navy after publishing on the Phuketwan news website a paragraph from a story that was part of Reuters’ Pulitzer Prize-winning series on human trafficking of refugees from Burma. The Reuters story was part of a series that won journalists Szep and Andrew R C Marshall a Pulitzer last week. It accused naval officers of involvement in the smuggling of Rohingya migrants into Thailand.

“We stand by the fairness and accuracy of our Rohingya coverage,” Crundwell said. He told the Bangkok Post: “To be very clear, although we are not involved in the case against Phuketwan, Reuters wholeheartedly supports a free press, and the rights of journalists across the world to publish news and information without fear or hindrance in reporting the truth.” ■