Policies of The Surayud Government - Human Rights

Human Rights

• Censorship of broadcast television. Troops were dispatched to all television stations on the night of the coup and remain there as of late December 2006. An interview with the late Nuamthong Phaiwan broadcast by television channel iTV came to an abrupt end after the Director of Army-owned Channel 5 called the station to warn them against the broadcast. Additional troops were dispatched to "keep order" at the station. Broadcast media were to stop airing news about former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his associates.
• Censorship of community radio. Thousands of community radio stations were shut down after the coup. Community radio operators were only allowed to rebroadcast if they reported in the "spirit of national unity." The junta retained the authority to shut down any station at any time.
• Censorship of Somtow Sucharitkul's opera Ayodhya. It was thought that the on-stage death of the demon-king, Thotsakan, would constitute a bad omen. Somtow, a critic of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, criticized the move but agreed to modify the scene.
• Massive censorship of the internet. Pre-coup, the government blocked 2,475 websites, while as of January 2007, the government blocked 13,435 websites - an increase of over 500%. In addition, the popular Midnight University web board was shut down for what the government claimed were posts offensive to the monarchy.
• The repeal of junta restrictions against organizing protests on 9 November 2006. However, martial law has been lifted in most of the country.
• The approval of a law that would imprison anyone found guilty of forwarding a pornographic email up to three years.
• The establishment of a 14,000-strong special operations force with a mandate to control anti-junta protests. The 556 million baht fund allocation came from a request by the Council for National Security. The rapid deployment force began operations on 1 December 2006. Surayud refused to explain why his Cabinet approved funding of the force after it had already started, which was contrary to PM's Office directives. Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp promised that the force would be dissolved in 30 September 2007, along with the CNS. The funds would be diverted from the Defense Ministry and Police Office, but if those two agencies lacked funding, they would be diverted from the government's reserve fund for emergency situations. Yongyuth revealed that no Cabinet members questioned the use of the fund. General Saprang Kallayanamit, assistant Secretary-General of the CNS, was appointed Commander of the force.
• Arresting 26 Bo Bae Market illegal vendors protesting their forced relocation following a major fire. The protestors were charged with participating in an illegal gathering attended by more than 10 people. They later refused to air an interview that Thaksin had earlier made.
• Censorship of all mention of Thaksin Shinawatra from television.
• The torture of suspected insurgents by the military in the South. The Asian Human Rights Commission accused soldiers of seriously harming suspects by beating them, burning their genitals with cigarettes, smashing beer bottles over their knees, and chaining them to dogs.