The space on the Internet for dissenting political views is on the decline following the announcement by Prachatai, an online newspaper, that it will shut down its Web board by the end of this month, rights and media reform activists say.

The decision "is indicative of the shutdown of free speech in Thailand under the ongoing state of emergency", the Hong-Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) stated on Thursday.

Media reformist Supinya Klangnarong, also a board member of Netizen group, a civic group advocating cyber freedom, said the announcement goes hand in hand with the growing climate of fear and censorship on political dissent.

"There exists a curbing of views on those who think differently from the state."

Prachatai announced on Thursday that the Abhisit Vejjajiva government was hunting for people making anti-government comments online and since it cannot ensure their safety, it had decided to close the Web board.

"The media and posters alike face the threat of sweeping accusations that they are a 'threat to national security' through the use of the 2007 Computer Crimes Act, the Emer-gency Decree and Section 112 of the Criminal Code," the non-profit news group stated.

"Tracking and hunting down people who post comments on the Net seems to be no problem at all for the authorities, who do not even have to obtain any information from Prachatai.

"With limited protection and no guarantee of safety for users, the Prachatai team has come to this decision," it announced.

Basil Fernando, AHRC director, said in a statement from Hong Kong that "the closure of the Web board spoke of the extent to which nobody in Thailand had the right to speak freely.

"Under the former government of Thaksin Shinawatra, people speaking out about human rights and politics were intimidated, and there was a degree of self-censorship in the mainstream media, but nothing like what we have seen since the 2006 coup. The latest round of outright repression under the emergency decree, which has just been reimposed across much of the country, is akin to that of a military dictatorship," he stated, adding that Internet chat boards are among the few places where people feel that they can still get things off their chests.

"So if Prachatai has decided to pull the plug on comment because it's afraid of the consequences, then the situation in Thailand is very grim indeed," he added.

A source close to Prachatai said on condition of anonymity that the cases against Chiranuch Premchai-porn, the Web board director who is facing a charge under the Computer Crime Act for failing to remove quickly enough comments from the Web board that police allege were offensive to the monarchy, has an impact on the decision, especially when it appears that the court is unsympathetic to the defence side.

"The stance of the court is not all right and not open to [genuinely] listening to the other side," said the source, of the case. Under lese-majeste law, people found insulting the monarchy are subject to a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.

The Prachatai news website has been subjected to government blocking ever since the emergency decree was imposed three months ago and had to change its address several times.

Supinya told The Nation she's not sure if the prime minister, who she insists speaks sympathetically of Prachatai, is even in control of the blocking anymore.

"People are now in fear. The decision to block may have been made by the Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation. In principle, [Abhisit] spoke positively of Prachatai but in reality that's not what's happening.

"Maybe the prime minister may not really believe in what he said [publicly] or maybe he has no power. If it's the latter, it's really problematic because it means the PM doesn't have enough power," Supinya concluded.