angry mob shuts down The Nation, Thai police do not intervene

An angry mob has closed the The Nation newspaper office for several days, refusing to let anyone enter or exit.

The police, inexplicably, have not intervened to disperse the crowd.

An angry mob allowed to shut down a legitimate business in downtown Bangkok?

In a mature, non-barbaric, civilized society, this would not be allowed to happen.

Committed to telling the truth

Despite being forced from our office, we remain dedicated to those who have stuck with us through troubled times

Today's Nation may be thin, and the product may even look sloppy in some parts. Moreover, at this moment, we cannot be certain how long it will take before things can get back to normal. But even though many of our reporters could not enter our headquarters yesterday, and others had to climb over the walls to slip into our besieged workplace, we would like to assure you that the resolve, dedication and conviction that has made us the paper of your choice over the past 35 years remains as strong as ever.

We will continue our pursuit of the truth and the whole truth. And what you are reading today from The Nation, Krungthep Turakij and Kom Chad Luek is nothing but that.

You are still reading the truth about our troubled Kingdom, although many reporters were forced to write their stories in temporary exile, and those who managed to sneak into our head office were at one point not even sure when or how they would be able to leave the premises safely.

Our Kom Chad Luek brothers and sisters have expressed absolute remorse for the unfortunate mistake that resulted in publication of statements deemed highly improper.

They have expressed heartfelt regrets, apologised to the Royal Palace and sought a royal pardon.

As a preliminary show of responsibility, Kom Chad Luek's editorial department has closed itself down for a total of five days, starting yesterday.

The paper will fully cooperate with the authorities in their investigation into the incident.

We remain fully committed to our course, which is embodied by patriotism, loyalty and professionalism.

This means the whole Nation family; not just the reporters who beat all the odds, but also the foreign staff who love Thailand as much as we do, the technical crew who had to smuggle computers and other equipment out of the headquarters yesterday morning and set up an emergency operation centre and our printing workers who had to cope with a hectic rescheduling of work.

Last but not least, we thank you, our readers, who are holding this downsized Nation edition in your hands for your unwavering faith.

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"You are still reading the truth about our troubled Kingdom, although many reporters were forced to write their stories in temporary exile, and those who managed to sneak into our head office were at one point not even sure when or how they would be able to leave the premises safely".