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He said some political groups were still staging activities that could bring about more rifts in the country. Three orders of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) - numbers 79, 97 and 103 - would be strictly observed.

The orders ban media operators from featuring people connected with political parties. The content must not be critical of the NCPO or the government; programmes must be recorded in advance so they can be checked for content before broadcast; there must be no phone-ins to any programmes, even to entertainment ones such as music programmes.

He said the department would keep a close watch on 147 radio stations and all newspapers, Facebook and Line. "Please be patient because our country is suffering from a serious illness and we need a surgery to be healthy and happy as we were,'' he said.

Apinant said the government must tighten its grip on the media, including community radio, and if it allows the situation to go back to square one, attempts to restore peace and heal the rifts would be in vain.

He added that some community radio stations were allowing advertisements of drugs that do not have the approval of the Food and Drug Administration, placing the health of the public at risk.

First Army Region deputy director Colonel Suthat Nakpan said authorities needed to step up checks and controls against any group aiming to instigate public revolt through the use of media. He said he did not expect a crackdown on undercurrents to be easy but officials must ensure their continued efforts and get the public to understand and use their judgement when consuming media.

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'Tighter control over media to check divisive groups'