CNN under fire over exclusive bloody footage, trespassing crime scene

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English + Agencies
9 Oct 2022 23:40
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Outrage in Thailand after a CNN team illegally trespassed the nursery massacre scene and published footage of the bloody floor... all while on tourist visas.

CNN crew trespasses massacre scene to take exclusive bloody footage

US Broadcasting network CNN released a statement expressing "deep regret" for any "distress or offense" it may have caused after publishing a report covering the mass killing that took place in a nursery in Thailand, which included footage of blood stains on the floors of the crime scene.

Last Thursday, October 6, an attack on a nursery in northeast Thailand, carried out by a man wielding a gun and a knife, led to the death of 37 people including 23 children. The 34-year-old attacker Panya Khamrap, a former policeman fired in 2021 over drug charges, headed to his house after the massacre where he killed his wife and child and then committed suicide.

The journalists that covered the crime in Thailand were fined for working while on a tourist visa, however, they were deemed not guilty of intentional trespassing as per complaints filed against them, according to Deputy National Police Chief in Thailand, Surachate Hakparn.

An image that circulated on social media showing the journalists jumping over a police tape and a small wall to exit the nursery, in addition to the building reportedly being off-limits, is what sparked the accusation against the CNN journalists that they have trespassed on the territory.

The complaint against the CNN journalists was filed by Danaichok Boonsom, director at the Office of Uthai Sawan Municipality, and one of the victims' relatives, a 2-year-old child, as he questioned their behavior in such sad times, asking, "Why do they have to do this? What is it for?” stressing, "I want them to be respectful to us. They should not do whatever they want to do or only think about getting their ratings" as reported by PPTV.

CNN, in a statement, said, "We deeply regret any distress or offense our report may have caused, and for any inconvenience to the Thai police at such a distressing time for the country."

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand and the Thai Journalist Association condemned the report, which was pulled earlier. In a statement, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand directed a question to CNN, "Would one of their crews have behaved in the same way at a serious crime scene in the United States?”