Reporters Without Borders is alarmed by a decision to restrict press freedom under the state of emergency declared yesterday by the government, whose leader, Prime Minister Samsak Sundaravej, had already threatened news media that did not support him.

The organisation also urges the opposition People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is trying to bring down the government by means of protests, not to target news media, especially those that support the government.

"We fear the state of emergency will be used to silence certain news media," Reporters Without Borders said. "There are no grounds for restricting media diversity and the free flow of information if the media are not calling for violence. Journalists must obviously take care not be implicated in partisan excesses that would harm press freedom, but it is not the government's job to say who can and who cannot report the news."

The press freedom organisation added: "It is also important for the prime minister to accept that it is not the public media's job to use taxpayers' money to put out pro-government propaganda. Just as we condemned the opposition's storming of the TV station NBT last week, so we condemn these crude measures that threatens media independence."

Prime Minister Samsak has told the committee in charge of enforcing the state of emergency that it can censor news media that disseminate reports fueling fears and threatening national security and peace. The head of the committee, Gen. Anupong Paojinda, yesterday said he was considering taking action against ASTV, a station owned by opposition media magnate Sondhi Limthongkul, and the government station NBT (the former Channel 11), claiming that all their reports were biased.

The prime minister had already asked the media on 26 August to support him in the face of the PAD demonstrations, demanding that journalists abandon their neutrality and condemn the "agitators." It would be destabilising if half the media supported the PAD, he said. He also accused the state-owned TV station PBS of failing to support him while at the same time "asking for millions from the government."

Several government TV stations such as Channel 3 and Channel 7 are providing very little coverage of the demonstrations that have been taking place in Thailand, especially Bangkok, since last week. But the privately-owned stations are offering a great deal of coverage of the protests, in which one person died in the capital.

All of Sondhi's media, including the newspaper Manager and the satellite TV station ASTV, are backing the PAD's attempt to oust Samsak. ASTV has been broadcasting all of the PAD leaders' speeches live, and appeals for demonstrations have been issued on some of its programmes.

The police meanwhile confirmed on 27 August that the 82 people arrested for taking part in the previous day's assault on NBT were PAD members. Charges have been brought against them.