Freedom of expression is being seriously challenged as the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva uses the Emergency Decree as its main mechanism in dismantling the supporting apparatus of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) and its red shirt movement.
The clean-up operations are extensive and affect not only those with ties to the red shirts but also the many who dared to speak out against the government. The Computer Crimes Act and lese majeste law have also been invoked in a wide and sweeping manner.
Some of the offences are real in nature and, under normal circumstances, would be dealt with by whoever is in government. However, by relying on the special powers of the Emergency Decree, the transparency which normally would be assured within the judicial process, is thereby obscured.
For instance, no specific charges were lodged against the red shirts' People's Channel or various owners and talk show hosts of community radio stations that were closed down. Beyond the legal boundaries, many were threatened and harassed.
Particularly hard hit is the internet. The cyber world has usually been a flourishing forum for free expression. However, under the Emergency Decree, thousands of websites (40,000 as estimated by the Thai Netizen Network) have been reportedly closed, many specific postings were traced back to origin, leading to arrests and charges both against individuals, websites or web-board operators, even internet service providers.
Recently, Prachathai, a popular news and web-board site announced the closure of its web-board, after long bouts of resisting attempts to shut the website down since the coup d'etat of Sept 19, 2006.
It finally succumbed to charges of lese majeste. The offending remarks were not written by the website operators but in a posting by one of its members.
Since television and regular radio stations are state-owned, news and talk shows are controlled mostly through "self censorship" or lobbying by officials. Only the established mainstream print media remain relatively free, protected by law after decades of struggle against closure and censorship imposed by various military regimes.
This is probably why Mr Abhisit is now doing his "press tour" to meet and talk to various owners and editors.
As for the red shirts' newspapers and magazines, they have all been closed down under the charge of being "false" media. The government has accused them of being merely propaganda tools of the UDD.
But does control and censorship work?
Apparently the government and the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), the main enforcer of the Emergency Decree, think so.
For them, a sense of control seems equal to a sense of security, at least for the government if not the general public.
In the short run, through suppression the government may claim a return to normalcy. It also hopes that with the red shirts' voices stifled, the government's one-sided propaganda can break through and change the hearts and minds of people who "see red". The message is about the protection of the revered institution of the monarchy and unity for the common good so the nation can return to peaceful and normal ways.
Hardly anyone in Thailand would like to be chastised as "disloyal" or intent on wreaking havoc. If they do not fall in line, most will just keep quiet.
But over the longer term, such an approach could backfire, and it will.
First, the heavy-handed tactic creates even more animosity towards the government on the part of the anti-government groups. They view this as the government's attempt to avoid answering the question of what really happened during the violent incidents of May - what circumstances led to the death of 90 people and who should be responsible. So far, the evidence gathered and culprits caught are questionable and insufficient to complete the picture, as the red shirts feel that the government is not only covering up its own mess but is setting up the opposition as the ultimate fall guy.
Second, by using this all-encompassing authority, the government further alienates itself from the public. It will lose trust and its own credibility which are essential for reconciliation. Revoking the Emergency Decree and letting the regular judicial process operate would serve to back up the government's proposed reconciliation plan, without which Mr Abhisit's pretty words are just empty mouthings.
Third, the government has become more paranoid by the day. Such forms of political expression as the recent "red Sunday" activities led by Sombat Boon-ngamanong are symbolic acts of protest calling for justice by tying red cloth to the Ratchaprasong junction sign. Mr Sombat was earlier arrested and held without charge for two weeks for this very act. Upon release he continued his quest as a growing crowd of supporters showed up. So, this past Sunday the Royal Thai Police was at the junction in full force, of course not to support Mr Sombat but to maintain order. They arrested Natee Sornwaree who shouted aloud, without a megaphone, calling for justice, and fined him 100 baht for "being noisy and causing annoyance".
In a separate incident, the police in Chiang Rai charged three students, aged 23, 24 and 16, who together held simple hand-written signs with the words: "I see dead people at Ratchaprasong" and "Emergency Decree must be maintained to hide the truth." The arrests reflect the low level of tolerance this government has for free speech. More challenges to the Emergency Decree will certainly come.
Fourth, the atmosphere of suppression has a dumbing-down effect. The Think Positive Network, a non-political group of professionals in various fields, made a television commercial to make the point that no one is to blame for the political crisis but that all of us share the blame, and suggested how we could work together to fix the problem. The commercial is thought-provoking but it was not permitted to be broadcast. Representatives from the major television channels decided to self-censor the ad, citing wide ranging excuses. This is in contrast with other commercials by the government that have been aired, with songs for peace and unity.
Censorship is not a basis for reconciliation and democracy. By curbing debate and continuing to enforce suppression, discontent will brew. Once it reaches boiling point, even the power of the Emergency Decree will not be able to save the government.
Suranand Vejjajiva served in the Thaksin Shinawatra cabinet and is now a political analyst.