Instead, a rigged electoral process ensured the re-election of the junta prime minister, Gen. Starting with the week-long “attitude adjustment” sessions imposed on opponents of the coup, the military junta, called the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), sought to intimidate and silence opposition to its rule through harassing criminal charges, abusive prosecutions, arbitrary closure of tv, radio, and internet stations, and censorship of online content.Ī new, nominally civilian government, elected in March 2019, should have generated hopes for across-the-board reforms. The five years since the 2014 military coup have been marked by intense government repression of those viewed as political threats, whether opposition politicians, activists seeking a return to democracy, or online critics of military rule. In the 1990s, Thailand earned a reputation as an emerging Southeast Asian democracy that respected freedom of expression. – Sirawit Seritiwat, democracy activist, Bangkok, October 2018 – Watana Maungsook, opposition politician, Bangkok, October 2017 It isn’t easy, but it is the price you have to pay. The constitution provides for freedom of speech, but so far Thais don’t actually have it….
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