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Thai protesters raised three-fingered salutes to the national anthem in public places in Bangkok on Tuesday as anti-government demonstrations continued and the government ordered the closure of an online television channel for its coverage of the demonstrations.
Authorities imposed emergency measures banning gatherings of more than four people last Thursday amid mounting protests against the government and the monarchy.
But the protests have only grown despite the repression in which dozens have been arrested.
Two protest leaders, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, were arrested on new charges Tuesday as soon as a court released them from bail in connection with a series of previous charges.
“This is not a protest without leaders, but everyone is leaders,” Tattep “Ford” Ruangprapaikitseree told reporters at the Siam Paragon Mall, where dozens of people gave the Hunger Games borrowed salute.
“It is not anarchy. Everyone has a trial and will do what is reasonable, “said Ford, who has already been arrested twice since the protests began.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s cabinet agreed to an emergency session of parliament next week due to the crisis, but has said it will not resign, as protesters have demanded. Prayuth’s supporters have a majority in parliament.
The protesters also want changes to the constitution and a reduction in the powers of the monarchy under King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
The emergency measures only appear to have stoked public ire, but Tuesday turned out to be the quietest day on the streets since the decree was imposed with only a few hundred in attendance.
Thai human rights lawyers said they would file a lawsuit with six students and other human rights groups on Wednesday to revoke the statement and request a court order to prevent government crackdowns.
Muted voice tv
Previously, a court ordered the suspension of Voice TV, an online station that criticizes the government.
Voice TV was found to have violated the Cybercrime Law by uploading “false information,” said digital ministry spokesman Putchapong Nodthaisong.
Voice TV editor-in-chief Rittikorn Mahakhachabhorn said he will continue to broadcast until the court order arrives.
“We insist that we have been operating on journalistic principles and we will continue our work today,” he said.
Voice TV was one of four media organizations under investigation for its coverage of the ongoing protest movement. Many have been reporting on the protests live on Facebook and other social media platforms.
The channel is owned in part by the Shinawatra family of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck, who was ousted by Prayuth in a coup in 2014. Both fled Thailand to escape corruption cases they branded politicians.
The demonstrations have been led largely by students and youth, in contrast to the 10 years of street violence between Thaksin supporters and conservative royalists before Prayuth took power.
The prime minister on Tuesday accused the media of spreading false news.
“The freedom of the media is important, but in some cases there are some media that disseminate distorted information that incites unrest,” he said after a court order following a complaint from the Ministry of Economy and Digital Society.
The court’s ruling comes a day after the same ministry said it had flagged more than 325,000 posts on social media platforms that violated the Cybercrime Law, which critics say is used to muzzle dissent.
Amnesty International accused the authorities of “scare tactics” in ordering the closure of Voice TV.
“The harassment of the media is just one facet of the current assault by the Thai authorities on communication channels, along with threats to block the messaging platform Telegram and the use of the Cybercrime Law, among other laws, against people for what they post and share online. Amnesty regional deputy director of campaigns Ming Yu Hah said in a statement.
Human Rights Watch said that the closure of Voice TV was a misuse of the emergency decree and noted that the channel had been subject to censorship more than any other television channel in the country.
“The crackdown is part of a larger effort to intimidate and control the media into becoming mouthpieces for the government,” the group’s Asia director Brad Adams said in a statement.
The Thai Foreign Correspondents Club expressed deep concern that the Royal Thai Police were investigating Voice TV, along with online media Prachatai, The Reporters and The Standard.
“A free media is an essential element in any democratic society and journalists in good faith should be able to report on important events without the threats of bans, suspensions, censorship or prosecutions that weigh on them,” the club said.
The court has yet to announce its decision on the other three media organizations.
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