Arresting the monarchy’s enemies

It is just a month since Phitsanulok Democrat Party MP Juti Krairiksh – with a family name like that he’s from Phitsanulok?? – was appointed minister at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. That’s the ministry in charge of all the censorship not being undertaken by CRES on behalf of the military-palace-Abhisit Vejjajiva regime.

In an interview in the Bangkok Post he was asked: How do you deal with websites critical of the monarchy?

He answered: “We set up an office to specifically deal with this kind of threat and other websites deemed inappropriate for society, such as gambling and human and drugs trafficking. We have arrested three people who posted information and pictures critical of the monarchy.”

PPT asks: Are these new arrests in the past month? Or is Juti referring to the earlier minister’s egregious work?

The ICT minister mentions drugs. We know they are a serious problem, but as far as PPT can tell the peddling of the monarchy’s propaganda is seen by the royalists as an opiate.

PPT is informed by a reader that on a recent domestic flight all passengers were forced to watch and listen to 40 minutes of propaganda about the king. The usual stuff, but it was compulsory on TG. Even in-seat entertainment couldn’t be switched off and the sound was on the public address system. Likewise, the reader reported getting in a cab where army radio was on. For the 50 minute ride, complete, wall-to-wall royalist propaganda.

Royalists must think it works…. But with the king still in hospital and looking very weak in a recent television appearance, for how much longer?

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