(SEAPA/IFEX) – The ruling military junta in Thailand has banned political activities of Tambon (a local government body) and provincial administrative organisations following reports that some had tried to organise rallies against the military in northern and northeast Thailand. However, almost a week after the 19 September 2006 coup, public criticism of the putsch is […]
(SEAPA/IFEX) – The ruling military junta in Thailand has banned political activities of Tambon (a local government body) and provincial administrative organisations following reports that some had tried to organise rallies against the military in northern and northeast Thailand.
However, almost a week after the 19 September 2006 coup, public criticism of the putsch is still tolerated to some extent.
News websites critical of the coup are still functioning, although a popular alternative news website, http://www.prachathai.com , has announced it had to put its webboard on hold due to “a disturbance”. The website said there were hundreds of copies of the same message posted on the webboard at around 8:00 p.m. (local time) on 24 September. Prachathai’s webboard has increasingly played an important role in hosting academic and public exchanges of views on critical issues facing Thais. Following the coup, it ran several articles offering different views about the coup.
On 25 September, a defiant civil group comprised of human rights activists and students and academics from various universities held a public discussion at Thammasat University without disruption. No uniformed police personnel were seen monitoring the discussion.
The group of some 50 people held the event as an intentional act of civil disobedience challenging the ruling Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDR), which has banned all gatherings of more than five people. The group also expressed their disagreement over the Council’s scrapping of the Constitution.
On 22 September, the same group had staged the first rally after the coup, outside Bangkok’s upscale shopping mall, Siam Center, to voice their displeasure.
The Council has prohibited local politicians to engage in political activities and has shut down more than 300 out of some 3,000 community radio stations to prevent supporters of ousted caretaker prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from gaining a public voice.
