International news agencies' exclusive interviews with the boys rescued from Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province may depress the young boys, justice deputy permanent secretary Tawatchai Thaikyo warned Friday.
"The interviews should not have been done at all. Some questions can trigger fears in the boys, especially questions about medication before the extraction from the cave. Such questions remind them of the traumatic experience they went through and may result in a chronic depression in the future," Mr Tawatchai said.
He was responding to reports that some international news agencies had had exclusive interviews with the boys after they returned home. As of Friday afternoon, none of such interviews was published. He also did not name the international news agencies in question.
Mr Tawatchai blamed the international news agencies for ignoring Thai authorities' request for their cooperation to give space to the rescued boys and their families. He praised Thai media organisations for cooperating.
Foreign media's standards lower than expected, says Mr Tawatchai. (File photo by Pornprom Sattrabhaya)
"Although the foreign agencies claimed that they received a permission from the boys' parents, it is not right because Thai and foreign journalists were informed of clear guidelines on the coverage. The parents of the boys might not be prepared to cope with what's to come," Mr Tawatchai said.
He urged the agencies to follow the guidelines on questioning minors in courts. There, children would be accompanied and protected by social workers or psychiatrists to prevent their mental wounds from being reopened, Mr Tawatchai said.
"We thought that foreign media organisations understood conventions on children's rights and procedures to protect the young but their standards are lower than expected. It seems they lack common sense," he said.
Twelve local football players aged 11-16 and their 25-year-old coach from the Moo Paa (Wild Boars) football academy had been trapped in flooded Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district for nearly three weeks from June 23. The incident made international headlines as the cave extraction was considered as the toughest of its kind and drew help from local and international rescuers and supporters.
