August 2, 2000
In their Bangkok meeting on July 26th, Lao and Thai media representatives agreed to stop attacking one another, and to do their best to avoid misunderstanding. They also pledged to give as accurately as possible reports about their respective countries.
The meeting was organized after the media of the two countries had gone to war against each other following the Vangtao incident, which was extensively covered by the Thai media. Many thousands of Lao saw the checkpoint attack on Thai TV.
The state-controlled Lao media strongly accused its Thai counterparts of distorting the truth by presenting the Vangtao raiders as "rebels" instead of "bandits". They also accused the Thai media of being complicit in the attack.
In his interview with Radio France Internationale during his visit to France on July 18-19, Somsavat Lengsavad, Lao Vice-Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, accused the Thai media of taking bribes from the armed group that attacked the Vangtao border post.
Yet the Thai media enjoys freedom, and is totally independent from government control. In another word, it presents things as they happen, and as accurately and rapidly as possible, without taking political interests into account.
The Lao media, by contrast, is under strict government control. It must present news and analysis according to the line of government policy in order to satisfy the political leadership, not the opinion of the Lao public. Hence, there is no concern for rapidity or popularity, or even, accuracy.
Obviously, the agreement between the two sides in the Bangkok meeting last week was based on their wish to ameliorate relations that were adversely affected by the Vangtao attack, not on journalistic principle, since both sides were determined to stay firm with regard to their respective systems of journalism: independent media for the Thai side and propagandist media for the Lao side.
Therefore the agreement they reached in Bangkok was nothing other than an agreement to disagree. It is unlikely then that both sides will be able to avoid stepping upon each other's toes if another incident similar to that of Vangtao occurs.
David Thanadabouth
Radio France Internationale
(Lao language section)