No censored society can be democratic

Pravit Rojanaphruk in the Nation (22 April 2009: “Shutting down media exposes Govt’s fears”) has an excellent piece on the aftermath of the Songkran uprising: “The unprecedented crackdown on the DTV station, community radios both in Bangkok and the North and Northeast, as well as on the Internet, over the past week or so will only do more damage to the development of Thai democracy in the long run. The actions, backed by the draconian emergency decree, may restore some semblance of peace and order to the country but it is likely to be temporary and ersatz. No censored society can be democratic.”

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