Thailand's new military government on Friday threatened to shut down media that violate tough new regulations, including bans on radio call-in shows and limits on websites and text messaging.
BANGKOK: Thailand's new military government on Friday threatened to shut down media that violate tough new regulations, including bans on radio call-in shows and limits on websites and text messaging.
The new regulations limit the public's ability to express themselves in the media, but did not include limits on newspapers or other publications.
"We have asked for cooperation, but violators ... could face a shut down of their businesses," Thaneerat Siritachana, the technology ministry official tasked with enforcing the new rules, said.
"SMS and phone-in programmes, as well as websites that allow readers to express their ideas and opinions have been banned," Thaneerat said.
The junta suspended the constitution and imposed martial law after taking power from former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra late on Tuesday. They said they would block "disinformation" deemed harmful to the junta, and have blacked out CNN and BBC reports on the coup.
Under the new rules, radio stations are prohibited from airing phone calls from listeners, even on topics as benign as traffic reports.
Television stations have also been barred from broadcasting text messages sent in from viewers' cell phones, a popular feature on several Thai television programmes.
Websites, especially those with discussion boards, have been ordered to remove messages that refer to the monarchy, according to the Nation newspaper.
They also banned from posting messages that are "detrimental to peace and morality, and webmasters must take responsibility for all messages posted on their site," the paper said.
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