In its fifth order, issued yesterday morning, the Administrative Reform Council authorised the ministry to "control, block and destroy" all media coverage that would undermine the council's "political reform under democratic system". The order covers

print, radio and television.

The order was issued just five minutes after the 10th announcement asking for "cooperation" from the mass media to report the news "straightforwardly and constructively" in order to rehabilitate national unity and to restore the country to a normal state.

Both the order and the announcement were made while the office of the Nation Multimedia Group (NMG) was being safeguarded by several truckloads of soldiers. About 40 armed soldiers have been stationed at the NMG office on Bangna Trad Road since Tuesday night, claiming they came to "protect and provide security".

Community radio stations in Chiang Mai seemed to be the first targets of the council. Maj General Supa-aksorn Sangprakul, commander of the 33rd Sub-Regional Command, said he would ask the governor of Chiang Mai to shut down several community radio stations that allow the public to voice their opinions. He said provocative and divisive opinions could lead to major conflicts.

"The right to operate community radio stations was recognised by Article 40 of the Constitution, but the Constitution was revoked by the third announcement of the council," he said.

Wilasini Pipitkul, a media scholar at Chulalongkorn University, voiced concern about the "media censorship" but said the request for media cooperation was understandable.

"In this special situation, to give one-sided media reports is understandable since it will help lead to a peaceful society. And I think that the media's cooperation will benefit the country," she said.

Asked whether the order would allow the military to dictate press freedom, she said: "It is too early to judge."

Ubonrat Siriyuwasak, a Chulalongkorn University mass communications lecturer and chairperson of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform, said the order amounted to an infringement of people's liberty.

"It reminds me of the time back in 1976," said Ubonrat, referring to a right-wing coup that enacted laws muzzling all media, including newspapers, and which lasted for a decade. "I want the media to work freely … so society can have access to well-rounded information," she said, adding the public should not be the victim of such an order.

Former senator Jon Ungpakorn urged the military leaders to allow media freedom to be exercised without restraint as stated in the 1997 Constitution.

He said military leaders should be open to public participation as well as allow the people to exercise their freedom of expression and let the media freely report what the people express. "Only democratic means can solve Thailand's current situation," he said.