The website, which hosted discussions and forums, was blocked a week after the September 19 coup.

Somkiat last week petitioned the Administrative Court for protection against a recent Information and Communications Technology Ministry (ICT) decision to close the site. The court will hold its first hearing on Friday with Somkiat, the ICT and Thai Interactive Studio (www.thaiis.com) present.

Why do you think your website was blocked?

There are several reasons. I think firstly it had to do with the tearing of the [mock] interim constitution [by our group] but I assume the government had earlier been wanting to shut us down. Then there was an action coming from the Information and Communication Technology Ministry. But I can't be conclusive about it because there had been no warning. Soon after the tearing of the constitution, the site was blocked.

What was your reaction and that of your web community?

We felt that a public sphere had been lost. We had just begun soliciting public opinion on what the new [permanent] constitution should be like. I feel I am in a state of insecurity because we have been hit without any law or principle. Do we not have a consensus [in Thai society] that we should adopt some principles? The move was against the social contract, so how can people survive such uncertainty? I heard that the person responsible may be linked to Thaksin Shinawatra, but no matter who it was, the action pulled society into a state of nature where the law of the jungle operates. We have progressed too far to step back.

What does it say about those who staged the coup?

I do not expect anything from hegemonic conflict. I do not think people will gain anything from it. The coup was about a war between two elite groups and what became the casualties of the war were rights and liberty.

Nothing will change until there is structural change. Thaksin's clique has been ousted only to be replaced by an old elite group, that's all.

Midnightuniv.com contained many articles critical of Thaksin. Are you not relieved that he has gone?

We can have anyone [running the government] as long as the people can control that person. Please do not be mistaken into believing that we are happy to lose our rights and liberty under the junta. We should say enough to hierarchical politics and move towards horizontal politics. Ours should be a deliberative democracy and not vertical democracy.