Thai army censors media as martial law declared

[brain150]

Censorship is censorship even at the pretense of national security.

Your point being?

The point being that ANY sort of censorship is a very bad thing !

[Baerboxer]

I'm glad to see the back of all of them.

Both sides have been whipping up hatred for years and somethings had to give.

Sutheps final push really seemed to be inviting violence and confrontation and we can be happy this is now at an end.

The Government will be back in power as soon as there is an election and without an election it's sanctions for Thailand.!!

Interesting times, but at least its got the thugs corralled.

"The Government will be back in power"

Swallow all Thaksin's propaganda. Only his party is allowed to govern then?

If they are elected, those that aren't banned or caught breaking the law, then it's likely they'll break laws and focus on a trumped up whitewash amnesty for Thaksin as usual. And get banned all over again.

Time to stop the farce.

[3NUMBAS]

suthep has been trying to do this for ages by using force

[Stan7444]

will this somehow have an impact on this forum?

Don't think so. There are mainly expats on this forum and they are smart enough not to overreact to certain situations and news...me think.

How about Twitter and Facebook which is the primary source of rallies and not as much as TV stations anymore? Maybe they could shut down The Nation as well as that "other" Bangkok newspaper?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Most of the B.S. broadcast on the various banned TV channels could hardly have been called any variety of "news". Propaganda yes, news hardly.

On the other hand, it will be interesting to see what happens with the various "mainstream" news sources, including our beloved Bangkok Post and The Nation.

Will tomorrow's front pages be filled with sports news and cooking recipies??? I'd hope not.

[Benmart]

will this somehow have an impact on this forum?

Don't think so. There are mainly expats on this forum and they are smart enough not to overreact to certain situations and news...me think.

We have no shortage of resident nut cases, however.

From my experience, the radical, dysfunctional and extreme elements in any society seem to be the most vocal.

The "silent majority, however silent, is the driving force of good.

I ignore the negative and concentrate on the positive.

[Robby nz]

Thai army censors media as martial law declared

The two extremist parties asked for it,... now nobody will receive any information. If you are Falang and don't understand Thai, bad luck...

These announcements were made in both Thai and English.

Like the one about 10min ago.

[Robby nz]

The announcement I referred to in my previous post was specifically targeted at social media sites such as this.

It warmed that sites were being monitored and would be shut down if they posted anything that was likely to inflame the situation.

Be careful and try to use common sense when posting.

[fab4]

Another sound move. To remove both UDD affiliated stations as well as Blue Sky indicates a reasoned balance. These stations are not news. They are used as propaganda. Outside of this, there hasn't been - nor is there any expected - actual censorship of the media.

We are still receiving "Bluesky - backup" on IPM. It is still active, live from the protest stage.

You can always switch it off - it's not compulsory...........................yet.

[rebelplatoon]

Great. The red rhetoric silenced. Instigating hatred at every corner. Dirty language that kids should not hear 24/7.

And fair enough blue sky channel, which was not as vitriolic but just the same, biased.

Carry on. I like it. Soldiers welcomed with cheers and flowers. Stop the childlish politicians and find common ground. For the sake of the people.

[arisaje]

I'm glad to see the back of all of them.

Both sides have been whipping up hatred for years and somethings had to give.

Sutheps final push really seemed to be inviting violence and confrontation and we can be happy this is now at an end.

The Government will be back in power as soon as there is an election and without an election it's sanctions for Thailand.!!

Interesting times, but at least its got the thugs corralled.

It will be interesting to see if the military only contains the UDD crowds……but still let Suthep and his mob go ahead with his final push……which is what appears to be likely right now.

The military have set up road blocks to prevent more people entering BKK from the North, while Suthep (a wanted man) is still roaming around the city center with his crowds freely.

All very strange….other countries in the region must really wonder where Thailand is heading in the next 10 to 20 years

[thecynic]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

What amazes me is how little all of my thai friends care about this. Asians really don't give a f. about free speech.

No. A lot of us care. You just hang out in the wrong crowd.

A lot of human rights organizations in Thailand (with the exception of the NHRC of course) made a statement opposing the martial law.

Yeah, talk about generalisations. None of the Thais I know are too happy about the Martial Law.

[beautifulthailand99]

Thai army censors media as martial law declared

The two extremist parties asked for it,... now nobody will receive any information. If you are Falang and don't understand Thai, bad luck...

Only for you in country - here in the land of the free we can see all sorts that you Thai residents can only dream about. Long Live the Free Internet - Long Live Freedom of Speech and Long Live Thai Visa Forum operating under necessary and proportional self-censorship - as the Buddha said all things are impermanent - strive on with diligence.

[somjitr]

What amazes me is how little all of my thai friends care about this. Asians really don't give a f. about free speech.

I do very much care about free speech. What the military is doing at the moment is telling everyone to chill out a bit and cool your rhetoric the same way the MODs here on TV balance maintain control. I know that I've been given at least three vacations from commenting here. I should perhaps have had more... The point is control of the media is sometimes a necessity. It's just the way things work in the real world. I do agree that Asians don't understand the concept of free speech... but the real problem lies in their culture and in their laws.

But they are learning fast!

You cannot compare TV mods to government censorship. TV is privately owned and posting here is not a right. Thus, the TV mods can moderate the forum as they see fit. Freedom of expression in the public sphere, on the other hand, is fundamental to democracy.

It doesn't matter if you view some speeches as biased or propaganda. If you think the media deliberately spreads lies, you prove that in the court of law. You don't issue a blanket censorship. If "the real world" teaches you anything, it is that media censorship is one step to authoritarian rule.

[northernjohn]

will this somehow have an impact on this forum?

Don't think so. There are mainly expats on this forum and they are smart enough not to overreact to certain situations and news...me think.

You're giving people here FAR too much credit lol

Could be but then again look at the source of information we are getting are topics from. It is going to be watched a lot closer than Thai Visa.

Not saying it is going to happen but maybe now the information we do get will not be so unresearched. Maybe closer to reality. I don't have a Chrystal ball but I do have hope.

[northernjohn]

What amazes me is how little all of my thai friends care about this. Asians really don't give a f. about free speech.

I do very much care about free speech. What the military is doing at the moment is telling everyone to chill out a bit and cool your rhetoric the same way the MODs here on TV balance maintain control. I know that I've been given at least three vacations from commenting here. I should perhaps have had more... The point is control of the media is sometimes a necessity. It's just the way things work in the real world. I do agree that Asians don't understand the concept of free speech... but the real problem lies in their culture and in their laws.

But they are learning fast!

You cannot compare TV mods to government censorship. TV is privately owned and posting here is not a right. Thus, the TV mods can moderate the forum as they see fit. Freedom of expression in the public sphere, on the other hand, is fundamental to democracy.

It doesn't matter if you view some speeches as biased or propaganda. If you think the media deliberately spreads lies, you prove that in the court of law. You don't issue a blanket censorship. If "the real world" teaches you anything, it is that media censorship is one step to authoritarian rule.

Wrong Thai Visa is censored you are not allowed to put any thing here that could get you sued. The same as the media. In all fairness to the Mods they do allow some things that they should not.

What country in the world has freedom of speech. They all have restrictions that if you over step can get you in a world of trouble. Freedom of speech is a gimmick used to hook people into some one else's way of thinking.

[Maestro]

Removed some toll posts and the replies to them.