The accumulated pressure by the government on all Thai media and the Thailand-based foreign press has not gone unnoticed. The most distinguished annual report on press freedom has downgraded Thailand for 2003. From free'' in 2002, the Freedom House report on the state of media around the world has downgraded Thailand to partly free''. The report is realistic, the new rating for Thailand richly deserved.

The present government is popular. It has some major achievements, not least the overall recovery of the economy. But it has a dark side as well. There is a constant and underlying edge of implied threats to this administration. None are so dangerous, constant and occasionally menacing as attacks on the freedom of speech and a free media.

The attacks on the press began even before the election of Thaksin Shinawatra and Thai Rak Thai, and have never ceased. The Freedom House report on Thailand noted that the attacks on media outlets increased last year. That is, a year after his election sweep and institution of an effective one-party lower house, Mr Thaksin's government actually stepped up attempts to cow, intimidate or simply silence Thai and foreign media.

Such attacks are illegal under the constitution, a document the government seems to hold in a cavalier manner. More importantly, assaults on free expression are a blot on the government's reputation and on Thailand. Mr Thaksin, notoriously sensitive to criticism, has gone after short-term satisfaction in his assault on press freedom. He should consider the long-term effect and indelible stain he has put on the country.

The Freedom House report on Thailand is just one of nearly 200, of course. Other countries have an entirely cowed, brutalised media not even fighting for freedom _ Burma, Laos and Vietnam among them. According to Freedom House, the media ratings of three important countries are Singapore: Not free. India: Partly free. Philippines: Free.

While our press freedom may find some good company, there is nothing to brag about in ``winning'' a downgrade from free to partly free. The blame for this state of affairs rests directly with the government and Thai Rak Thai. They have bought off the only independent TV news station, silenced state media and threatened print media with a host of punishments for fair reporting, logical analysis and legal comment. Two editors were forced to resign last year and radio stations had to take legal programmes off the air because they offended someone in the administration.

The threats range from withdrawing advertising from government and private corporations to legal action. The foreign media have been threatened with loss of residence visas in one high-profile case and a string of others that have been less widely reported. It must be noted that these threats and intimidation are all because of factual reports. Neither Freedom House nor Thai press associations back nonsensical or farcical ``reporting'' like the false reports by Cambodian newspapers that led to the deadly attacks on Thais last January.

Mr Thaksin's attacks on the press have hurt the country's reputation around the world. The sad part is that the attacks are unnecessary. The Thai press was coming out of decades of government intimidation as Mr Thaksin took power. The new constitution balances the rights of free speech with the responsibility for truth in reporting and comment. The Thai media needs only one thing from the government: legal conduct. The interference in state media and the attempts to intimidate private broadcasters and publishers are illegal under the Thai supreme law, the constitution. There is no reason for the government to continue its attacks and further hurt the nation's reputation.