After three media outlets broke the rules which prohibited live reporting of the rehearsal for the royal cremation ceremony for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej yesterday, they will be barred from reporting today's rehearsal, government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday.
The special press cards, issued to members of the media going into the areas to cover the royal event, of journalists from the media outlets will be temporarily taken and only returned on Tuesday.
The journalists will be allowed to go to the media centre at Thammasat University but not the areas where the permitted media will go in and take a place on the stands to witness and take photos of the event, Lt Gen Sansern said.
The joint committee organising the royal cremation ceremony yesterday summoned an executive of a TV channel, which relayed TV Pool's broadcast signal to its Facebook account.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission yesterday issued an urgent letter to licensed TV channels notifying them of the prohibition of live reporting of the event, the final rehearsal of the royal cremation ceremony.
"Television channels are prohibited from relaying the signal of the test run live reporting by TV Pool in the rehearsal of the royal ceremony and broadcasting of the rehearsal," the letter said.
"The recording can be used only after the ceremony on October 26." the NBTC letter added.
Yesterday's rehearsals were for the first three processions.
Today's rehearsals are for the fourth, fifth and sixth processions, which are part of the ceremony where the royal relics of the late King Bhumibol will be transported to the Grand Palace on Thursday.
