The new, “friendly†military leadership in Thailand decided that public gatherings beyond 5 people are potentially threatening, so they have been banned. But a group of about 100 protesters defied the law and gathered at a shopping mall with hand-written signs that read “No to (ousted Prime Minister) Thaksin, No to Coup.†(See AP story)
Their sentiment acknowledges flaws in Thaksin’s leadership, but questions whether a coup is the right solution. Media outlets focusing on the ousted presidents sins might want to consider that.
Reuters reports that there is a media crackdown, saying:
The Information Ministry summoned radio, television and Internet operators to "seek cooperation" in enforcing the order "to restrict, control, stop or destroy information deemed to affect the constitutional monarchy."
The International Herald Tribune reports the following:
(Coup leaders) also asked Web masters to close political Web boards that contain "provocative" messages over the next 12 days, The Bangkok Post said. "I think the coup leaders are sensitive to online information and electronic broadcasts," said Kavi Chongkittavorn, senior editor at The Nation newspaper, noting these were the outlets that Thaksin depended on to get his message out.
"They don't want the public to be confused," he said. "They want to make sure the message reaching inside the country and outside does not stir up any kinds of confrontations."
Having free access to information can really confuse a population. Better to have the dictators decide what’s relevant. Now isn’t that ominous.
Marcus Stubbles (not verified) @ September 24, 2006 - 12:51am
It sounds as though the coup leaders are still counting largely on actual public support to shape the information coming out, or else we'd be seeing a more heavy-handed approach. Compared to most coups, what they are doing still sounds pretty lax. Given that the first protests took several days to appear, it sounds as though there really is a substantial amount of public support behind the military.
To what extent can the coup leaders control their message? Did redundant independent media channels exist prior to the coup (internet, satellite t.v., etc.)? Is international telephone and fax service still operational (Russian and Chinese dissidents used these to coordinate protests in the late 80s and early 90s, and they are still useful)? Is there already a government oversight bureaucracy in place which the coup leaders need only control, or will they have to take control of the media the hard way, outlet by outlet? Do the coup leaders enjoy uniform geographic support, or are there outlying areas where the media won't dance to Bangkok's tune (the muslim south comes to mind)? What does the worldwide Thai diaspora think of the coup, and are they in a position to influence the international media coverage if they don't like what they see?
I don't know the answers to those questions. Thoughts?
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