Media organisations and academics have called on the government not to violate the freedom of the press after reports emerged that five online outlets face legal action for breaching the state of emergency.

The government is also said to be planning to block the Telegram messaging app as anti-government protesters switched to it after police moved to shut down their Facebook accounts.

Several local media organisations spoke out after the leaking on Monday of an order issued by the government's joint Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES).

They included the National Press Council of Thailand, the News Broadcasting Council of Thailand, the Thai Journalists Association, the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, Online News Providers Association and the National Union of Journalists Thailand.



In their joint statement, the local media organisations said they were opposed to any forms of media freedom suppression by any side and urged the government not to abuse the law by silencing the media.

They warned that restricting people's access to information could prompt more people to join the protests and make the political situation more delicate and susceptible to violence.

They condemned any use of media outlets to distort facts or provoke violence and urged their peers to make sure that their coverage of the political situation was comprehensive and without bias.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) also join the opposition, saying it was "deeply concerned" by the censorship threat, and that it "makes the government appear heavy-handed and unresponsive to criticism, and could stir up even more public anger".


Their concern was echoed by lecturers at Thammasat University's faculty of journalism and mass communications. It issued a statement opposing the government move, insisting that access to information was a basic right and the government should let the media do its job independently.

DES Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said none of the named five media outlets - Voice TV, Prachatai.com, The Reporters, The Standard and Free Youth movement - had been banned or taken off the air following the order.


He also explained that live-streaming of anti-government protests was not banned but that broadcasting controversial speeches and defamatory remarks should be avoided. Asked if they would face closure as penalty, he said any action would be taken step by step.