New York-based Freedom House notes that the press freedom in Thailand has worsen followed the coup of September 2006 because the coup makers, which called themselves the Council For National Security, has largely treated the press as a potential threat to the new regime and restricted it as such.

The report was released on the eve of the World Press Freedom Day on Thursday.

This represents the worse assessment of Thai media ever done by a foreign organization. In 2000, Thailand ranked 29th as the country which had one of the freest press in the world. Under deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the overall media freedom deteriorated rapidly. Last year, Thailand ranked 107th and was listed "partly free."

After the coup, media restrictions have been concentrated on broadcasting and online media, most of them were dealt with criticism of the coup leaders as well as the monarchy.

Freedom House said in its report that the CNS took a very proactive and

direct approach to securing media compliance, calling a meeting with senior media representatives to convey a host of coverage directives on September 21. Also included in the assessment was the events that followed after the coup when troops were positioned outside all broadcast stations, and broadcast executives were ordered not to air materials that might challenge the new regime.

It also added that restriction on media coverage during the coup itself were largely limited to disruptions of CNN and BBC broadcasts featuring

background on Thaksin and a local broadcast airing a statement from Thaksin himself.

"Foreign and local journalists enjoyed relatively unfettered

movement," it pointed.

According to the report, a number of significant restrictions were imposed

in the coup's immediate aftermath. On September 20, the military's

Administrative Reform Council empowered the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to "control, block, and destroy" information detrimental to the new administration and issued military order No. 10, urging media cooperation in promoting "peace and national unity."

The Nation

By Kavi Chongkittavorn