Meanwhile, major media organisations planned to move against the bill on Media Freedom Day on May 3, saying the bill was aimed at controlling the media rather than protecting journalists.

The committee, under the National Reform Steering Council (NRSA), plans to deliberate the proposal next month, Kanit said, adding that the latest proposal was to ease concerns of the press about state interference in the media.

The draft bill on media regulation will be tabled in the NRSA whips’ meeting tomorrow. Kanit said members were expected to discuss the regulation on May 9.

He said the bill had 100 articles and, despite the controversy surrounding the legislation, the committee had maintained most of the key points. Among them was the setting up of a 15-member media professional council, which would include permanent secretaries of the Prime Minister’s Office and Culture Ministry as well as presidents of media organisations and experts from diverse fields.

Kanit said that after the two permanent secretaries had completed their terms of office, the council could recruit other suitable candidates to fill the vacancies. The council should be set up within two years of the law taking effect, he said.

The committee also maintained the proposed licensing system for members of media in the bill, Kanit said. Existing professionals would be granted a licence while new entrants would be required to undergo training.

The law also prescribed rules and regulations for professionals to abide by. If they fail to do so, they would face consequences with revocation of their licence being the most severe, Kanit said.

Meanwhile, major media organisations led by the Thai Journalists Association launched a campaign against media repression under the slogan “Stop Media Registration, Stop Controlling the People”.

On May 3, the organisations plan to read a statement opposing the bill and hold a series of activities in protest against the legislation.