Opposition to Thailand’s ruling junta became more visible today after the generals announced a series of measures designed to curb political activity and censor the media.

In an announcement read on state-run television stations, the military banned political parties from meeting and barred new parties from forming.

Earlier in the day, the coup group, which calls itself The Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy, banned call-in radio shows, suspended more than 300 community radio stations in Thai Rak Thai strongholds in northern Thailand and prohibited television stations from soliciting viewer opinions about the coup. It remained unclear if the censorship would extend to the print media as well, although a spokesman for the generals said the local press should exercise self-censorship and report the junta’s name in full.

"The name is important in relaying a right message and its shortened version might be misleading," said Lt. Gen. Palangkun Klahan, according to The Nation newspaper, a local English-language daily. "The goal of the CDRM is to heal the social divisions by improving the political system and not to cling to power,” he added.

But civil society groups and academics questioned how the generals could improve the political system by quashing dissent. The main gripe they had against deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was his attempts to clamp down on free speech and curtail civil rights.

“If the military junta claims it wants to install political reforms, then this is going in the opposite direction,” said Giles Ungpakorn, a political scientist at Bangkok’s well-respected Chulalongkorn University. “Just because you don’t see large demonstrations doesn’t mean a significant number of people don’t oppose the coup.”

“I don’t believe that military coups create democracy,” he added, calling for the military to return to barracks immediately and for the 1997 Constitution to be reinstated.

While public displays of opposition have been rare so far, resistance is brewing beneath the surface. An anonymous group of social activists, students and “regular citizens opposed to the way of building democracy through the point of the guns” circulated a statement Thursday condemning the coup group and imploring citizens to organize.

“The role of the military is not to solve the political problem by coup d'etat,” it wrote. “Such an act reflects the lack of political awareness and is regressive for the developments of democracy. Any political solving process should happen within the scope of laws and constitution, under the international democracy standards.”

The group, which calls itself the "19 September Network against Coup d'etat,” also called on citizens to wear black and gather Friday night at the fountains of the Siam Paragon, Bangkok’s largest mall. The silent protest could invite a crackdown from the junta, which has banned public gatherings of more than five people.

The sparks of opposition reveal concerns that the coup leaders, who were endorsed by revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej shortly after taking over, may soon find themselves in over their heads. The generals are widely seen as acting on behalf of a group of royalists and privy councilors, head by former prime minister Prem Tinsulanonda, and have little experience running a country.

“I don’t think the generals can handle running the country,” a ruling party member told the Asia Sentinel on condition of anonymity. “They didn’t do this on their own determination. They are too naïve.”

The street protest movement that led Thaksin to call an early election in February officially disbanded yesterday. Leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, spearheaded by outspoken publisher Sondhi Limthongkul, also pushed for the coup leaders to seize Thaksin’s assets.

The exiled Thai leader issued a statement from London yesterday calling for speedy elections and national reconciliation. Thaksin’s statement added that he would take a “deserved rest” and work on research, development and possibly charitable work for Thailand.

"The events in Thailand during the last two days should not detract from my main aim of national reconciliation," Thaksin’s statement said.

As Thaksin rested in London, the military detained two members of his cabinet who control large constituencies in the Thai Rak Thai stronghold of northeast Thailand. Yongyuth Tiyapairat and Newin Chidchob, who vocally supported Thaksin during the protest rallies of the past seven months and had the power to organize large groups of Thaksin supporters, both surrendered at army headquarters yesterday.

They joined several other pro-Thaksin figures who are “voluntarily” being detained by the army, including Thaksin’s number two, Chidchai Wannasathit, and Prommin Lertsuridej, who is seen as a key decision-maker in Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai party. It is unclear how long they will be held or if they have been charged with any crimes.

Other prominent Cabinet members were free to move about Bangkok. Somkid Jatusripitak, who was seen as a potential replacement for Thaksin before the coup, returned to Thailand from France yesterday. Surakiart Sathirathai, who wants to replace Kofi Annan as the UN’s secretary-general, thanked the junta for endorsing his candidacy upon his return from London, The Nation reported.

Thai Rak Thai’s future is uncertain. The party won 16 million votes in April’s voided election, and boasts wide support among the rural poor.

“Millions of Thai Rak Thai supporters must count for something,” said TRT member and former lawmaker Jakrapob Penkair, who spoke with reporters yesterday. “The problem is this is the first time in Thai history we’ve seen a majority party able to form a government on its own.”

“This is about what kind of society we want to live in,” he added. “The people should have a participatory role concerning the direction of the country. And with what just happened, we are cut off from the decision-making process.”

Human rights groups that in the past blasted Thaksin’s government for extra-judicial killings, media censorship and a host of other injustices for once sided with the deposed premier.

“The Thaksin government sought to undermine the constitution, harass gatherings of political opponents, and control the media through advertising revenue and criminal defamation,” the Asian Human Rights Commission, a Hong Kong-based group, said in a statement. “But by its very nature, it did not have had the audacity to abandon the country's supreme law and ban civil rights. By contrast, and by its very nature, the army has already done so.”

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