Most Thai print media still support the coup makers but they will soon become disillusioned, predicts National Human Rights Commissioner Charan Ditta-apichai.

Charan said the print media could not fool themselves for much longer as the reality of the country being ruled by dictators was becoming all too apparent.

He made the remarks during a symposium organised by the commission yesterday about Internet-based media and freedom under military rule.

"They're fooling themselves now that they have freedom but soon they will recognise it's otherwise - that their rights are being curbed," said Charan, as he listened to different Internet-based media practitioners explain how their freedom of expression had been curbed under the new military rule.

Sombat Boon-ngam-anong, web master of 19sep.org, an anti-coup website that was repeatedly blocked by the new regime, said he would continue to exercise his right to oppose the new regime and refuse to accept its legitimacy.

"The problem now is that [since the coup tore up the 1997 constitution] we do not know what breaking the law means. Opposing the coup is now regarded as being illegal. But I wonder what kind of illegality people like me are guilty of?" he said, adding the junta's order, issued just hours after the September 19 coup, that all critical Internet-based media shut down or have their content destroyed was "crazy".

Jeeranuch Premchaiporn, manager of Prachatai.com, a critical independent web-based news site said the big question was whether Thais believed in rights to freedom of expression or not. "Society tends to demand controls of expression rather than its protection," she said.

Jeeranuch urged the National Human Rights Commission to issue a statement and make more concrete efforts to protect Internet-based media, but no concrete response was made by Charan.

Many speakers, including Somkiat Tangnamo, webmaster of midnightuniv.org, another site which faced a clampdown, heavily criticised the ICT Ministry for the dubious tactics it employed in shutting down dissenting sites.

"People who want to use their moral yardstick to measure others' expressions should first look at themselves and see how straight their own moral yardstick is," he said, in reference to the coup makers.

"The National Human Rights Commission should be the first to refuse acceptance of [the junta's] order to censor the media."

Charan said the trend to curb Internet-based media is likely to continue despite the Kingdom now being under an interim administration.

Although the ICT Ministry was invited to join the symposium none of their representatives were present.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation