CHUTIMA SIDASATHIAN

Journalism Award | Nominee | Freedom of Expression Awards

Chutima Sidasathian’s work as a journalist, advocate and whistleblower has resulted in significant public attention and impact. Her reporting on the treatment of boat people in 2009, as reported in a series of award-winning stories in the South China Morning Post forced the government to change its policy. In 2015, Sidasathian, was charged with defamation under Thailand’s Computer Crime Act, along with her editor Alan Morison. The charges were brought by senior naval officers who sought to protect the Navy’s reputation. Sidasthian and Morison were eventually acquitted of all charges. Chutima transitioned from being a traditional reporter, instead focusing on being an community investigator, revealing a banking fraud scandal involving government loans intended for villagers being redirected and a national bank covering up the theft of millions of baht. As a result of her work, the bank eventually conducted its own investigation and confirmed Chutima’s findings.

In early 2021, Chutima posted on her Facebook page about farmers in the province of Nakhorn Ratchasima. The farmers received money through a Government lending scheme. However, she had found evidence that the scheme was used to illegally divert funds. Her Facebook posts document and criticise the local government’s involvement in the banking crisis. In response to her posts, the mayor of Banlang in Nakhon Ratchasima Province levelled five criminal defamation lawsuits against Chutima. She faced a total of nine charges, each bringing with them a potential two years in prison (18 years in total). In January 2024, it was reported that Chutima was found not guilty on three charges, with the judge stating that she was entitled to make genuine criticism of local administrators. She is still facing six criminal charges.

“Being brave enough to fight for change is not enough in Thailand. You have to accept that it may put your own future and family at risk. Human rights is a basic need but it comes at a very high cost for Thais. Sadly, the Thai government does not have any mechanism to protect the people who are brave enough to fight for change. This award shortlisting is a recognition of my own fight for change and the sacrifices involved, bringing much-needed attention to the struggle for human rights in Thailand.”