Bangkok: When Thailand's generals declared martial law to suppress months of political bloodshed one of the first casualties was freedom of information with a swift crackdown on any murmurs of dissent on television and social media.
Sweeping controls saw soldiers occupy several broadcasters and take a number of TV channels off air in what they said was a necessary measure to keep the peace as the military tries to solve the nation's festering political conflict.
Several politically partisan broadcasters switched to the Internet to dodge the censors' crosshairs, but the army was swift to extend curbs to the Internet, highlighting the growing power of social media in challenging authority in the digital era.
"The military fears social media more than television or radio," said Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of Southeast Asian Affairs at Chiang Mai University.
Pro and anti-government channels - tub thumpers for either side throughout the seven-month political crisis - almost immediately moved to YouTube or other web streaming sites to side-step the curbs on television broadcasting.
Its rival 'BlueSky', which has delivered round-the-clock coverage of anti-government rallies, also moved to YouTube and other streaming sites.
Six "inappropriate" websites were closed with the "co-operation" of True Corp. one the kingdom's largest Internet service providers, according to Thakorn Thatasit, secretary-general of Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission.
Even before the declaration of martial law, Thailand faced criticism about its curbs on the media, particularly harsh royal defamation legislation which critics say is used to muzzle free speech and political dissent.
Citizen "cyber scouts" are known to troll the Internet for infringements of the law which forbids any content deemed critical of the monarchy.
More than 1,300 websites - including Wikileaks - were blocked in 2010 during a protest by Red Shirt supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose ousting in a coup eight years ago was the spark that ignited the protracted political crisis.
The key role of social media in recent protest movements across the Middle East may have also caught the eye of Thailand's top brass.
"It poses a significant challenge to the Thai military... they recognise there's a very vibrant social media culture in Thailand and they are taking a very totalitarian approach to censorship," said Brad Adams, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.
"The fear is that they will make an example of some high profile people on social media... to make others fall into line or self-censor."
This time round, while some media outlets appeared to heed the restrictions - in a nation where the press is largely privately owned - web users swiftly reacted to the army's decree on social media.
Cartoons mocking the assault on press freedom went viral on Facebook while photos of people posing with placards decrying the measures widely shared.
One cartoon, a recreation of a famous photograph from the 1989 Tianamen Square crackdown by Chinese authorities, depicted a soldier at the head of column of tanks with a cannon trained on a person sitting on the ground with an open laptop asking "Do you feel lucky?"
In the short term observers say censorship may cramp the ability of protesters on both sides to galvanise support, but the proliferation of social media means its impact will ultimately be limited.
Prolonged Internet controls may incubate future trouble for the military at a time when it is casting itself as a mediator across the nation's political schism.
"If the martial law exists for a long time and still does not solve the problems - and (it) keeps blocking and limiting people's rights and freedom - people will start to explode," said Chiranuch Premchaiporn - a prominent webmaster who has a suspended jail sentence for failing to remove a reader comment deemed critical of the monarchy quickly enough.
Sweeping controls saw soldiers occupy several broadcasters and take a number of TV channels off air in what they said was a necessary measure to keep the peace as the military tries to solve the nation's festering political conflict.
Several politically partisan broadcasters switched to the Internet to dodge the censors' crosshairs, but the army was swift to extend curbs to the Internet, highlighting the growing power of social media in challenging authority in the digital era.
"The military fears social media more than television or radio," said Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of Southeast Asian Affairs at Chiang Mai University.
Advertisement
Pro and anti-government channels - tub thumpers for either side throughout the seven-month political crisis - almost immediately moved to YouTube or other web streaming sites to side-step the curbs on television broadcasting.
Advertisement
Its rival 'BlueSky', which has delivered round-the-clock coverage of anti-government rallies, also moved to YouTube and other streaming sites.
Advertisement
Six "inappropriate" websites were closed with the "co-operation" of True Corp. one the kingdom's largest Internet service providers, according to Thakorn Thatasit, secretary-general of Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission.
Advertisement
Even before the declaration of martial law, Thailand faced criticism about its curbs on the media, particularly harsh royal defamation legislation which critics say is used to muzzle free speech and political dissent.
Advertisement
Citizen "cyber scouts" are known to troll the Internet for infringements of the law which forbids any content deemed critical of the monarchy.
More than 1,300 websites - including Wikileaks - were blocked in 2010 during a protest by Red Shirt supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose ousting in a coup eight years ago was the spark that ignited the protracted political crisis.
The key role of social media in recent protest movements across the Middle East may have also caught the eye of Thailand's top brass.
"It poses a significant challenge to the Thai military... they recognise there's a very vibrant social media culture in Thailand and they are taking a very totalitarian approach to censorship," said Brad Adams, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.
"The fear is that they will make an example of some high profile people on social media... to make others fall into line or self-censor."
This time round, while some media outlets appeared to heed the restrictions - in a nation where the press is largely privately owned - web users swiftly reacted to the army's decree on social media.
Cartoons mocking the assault on press freedom went viral on Facebook while photos of people posing with placards decrying the measures widely shared.
One cartoon, a recreation of a famous photograph from the 1989 Tianamen Square crackdown by Chinese authorities, depicted a soldier at the head of column of tanks with a cannon trained on a person sitting on the ground with an open laptop asking "Do you feel lucky?"
In the short term observers say censorship may cramp the ability of protesters on both sides to galvanise support, but the proliferation of social media means its impact will ultimately be limited.
Prolonged Internet controls may incubate future trouble for the military at a time when it is casting itself as a mediator across the nation's political schism.
"If the martial law exists for a long time and still does not solve the problems - and (it) keeps blocking and limiting people's rights and freedom - people will start to explode," said Chiranuch Premchaiporn - a prominent webmaster who has a suspended jail sentence for failing to remove a reader comment deemed critical of the monarchy quickly enough.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Python Meat Used As Alternate Animal Protein Source In Thailand 6 Foreign Nationals Found Dead In Bangkok Hotel, Thai PM Orders Probe Cemetery In Thailand Organises Movie Night For The Dead, Internet Calls It "Spooky" Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Puja Khedkar's Father Was Suspended Twice On Extortion Complaints Watch: Ashneer Grover's Reaction To 22-Year-Old's Monthly Earning Viral IIT Kanpur Introduces 'SATHEE SSC' Platform For Exam Preparation IIT Kanpur Introduces 'SATHEE SSC' Platform For Exam Preparation Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.