History
The newspaper was founded by Alexander MacDonald, a former OSS officer, and his Thai associate Prasit Lulitanond. Thailand at the time was the only Southeast Asian country to have a Soviet Embassy, and the American embassy felt it needed an independent but pro-American paper to present its views. Some sources claim the financing came directly from the State Department or possibly even the OSS itself.
Nevertheless, under MacDonald's stewardship, the Bangkok Post was reasonably independent and employed many young newsmen, including Peter Arnett and T. D. Allman, who later became known internationally. Alex MacDonald left Thailand after a military coup in the 1950s, and the newspaper was later led by Roy, Lord Thomson. The paper has since changed hands. Major shareholders in Post Publishing include the Chirathivat family (owners of Central Group), the South China Morning Post of Hong Kong and GMM Grammy Pcl, Thailand's biggest media and entertainment company.
Read more about this topic: Bangkok Post
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