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<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Courier, monospace"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b>AMARC
supports petition for Supinya Klangnarong</b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><font
face="Courier, monospace">The
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) supports a
global petition calling Shin Corp, Thailand, to drop criminal
proceedings against Ms. Supinya Klangnarong, Secretary General of the
Campaign for Popular Media Reform (CPMR) in Thailand. <i>(Please see
news release below for more information).</i></font></font><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif"><font
size="2"><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><font
face="Courier, monospace">AMARC
invites you to sign the petition for Ms. Klangnarong by going to
</font></font><font color="#0000ff"><u><a
href="http://www.wacc.org.uk/supinya"><font style="font-size: 11pt;"
size="2"><font face="Courier, monospace">http://www.wacc.org.uk/supinya</font></font></a></u></font><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><font face="Courier, monospace">.</font></font></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b>*****</b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b>Worldwide
Petition Urges Shin Corp to Drop Charges Against Supinya Klangnarong
in Thailand</b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Distinguished
figures and free speech organisations add their names to the
campaign.</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">July
27, 2005 (WACC). Hundreds of signatories including distinguished
public figures are putting their names to a petition calling on Shin
Corp, Thailand, to drop criminal proceedings against Supinya
Klangnarong. Supinya had noted in an interview she gave to the Thai
Post that Shin Corporation profits had risen sharply since the Thai
Prime Minister came to power. Shin Corporation was founded by the
Prime Minister and is now owned by his family.</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Noam
Chomsky, Ariel Dorfman, Robert McChesney, Bernard Cassen and Armando
Mattelart were among the first signatories to the petition.</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Those
who have recently joined the petition include: Antonio Pasquali;
Steve Buckley, President of the World Association for Community
Radios; Jeremy Dear, General Secretary of the National Union of
Journalists in the UK; Tim Gopsill, Editor of The Journalist, UK;
Ursula Owen, Editor in Chief of Index on Censorship; Luitgard
Hammerer of Article 19; Joan Jara, Human Rights activist; Robert
Shaw, Human Rights Officer of the International Federation of
Journalists as well as academic leaders and practitioners of
journalism and communication worldwide.</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Supinya's
trial for asking an honest question is being seen as a landmark
freedom of speech case. If found guilty she may face a prison
sentence and a civil suit for US$10 million. The hearings started on
19 July.</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif"><font
size="2"><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif">The
World Association for Christian Communication, WACC, set up a weblog
covering the case, including the petition, at
</font></font><font color="#0000ff"><u><a
href="http://www.wacc.org.uk/supinya"><font style="font-size: 11pt;"
size="2"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><http://www.wacc.org.uk/supinya>http://www.wacc.org.uk/supinya</font></font></a></u></font><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">
which went live the day before the trial.</font></font></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">The
petition will be presented to Shin Corp to show the level of
opposition there is to the charges being pressed against Supinya and
against free speech.</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Supinya
studied Media Policy in the UK on a scholarship under the WACC
Communication Leadership Programme.</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif"><font
size="2"><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif">For
further information visit:
</font></font><font color="#0000ff"><u><a
href="http://www.wacc.org.uk/supinya"><font style="font-size: 11pt;"
size="2"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><http://www.wacc.org.uk/supinya>http://www.wacc.org.uk/supinya</font></font></a></u></font></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">or
contact:</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">********************************************************</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Contact:
Myriam Horngren, Advocacy and Network Coordinator,</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif"><font
size="2"><font color="#0000ff"><u><a href="mailto:mh@wacc.org.uk"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">mh@wacc.org.uk</font></font></a></u></font></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Office
+44 (0) 207 582 9139 Mobile +44 7962 06 26 98</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Hi-res
photographs are available from Sean Hawkey, Communication Officer,</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><font face="Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif"><font
size="2"><font color="#0000ff"><u><a href="mailto:sh@wacc.org.uk"><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">sh@wacc.org.uk</font></font></a></u></font><font
style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">
Office 44 (0) 207 582 9139</font></font></font></font></p>
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