Media: According to Freedom House 2011, the Constitution of 2007 extended the protection of the freedom of expression provided under previous constitutions. However, Thailand's broadcast media are generally monopolised by the government, before as well as after the military coup. Prior to the coup, commentators critical of the government were in fact gradually marginalised, and have been sued for defamation if they were too outspoken in their criticism of government mismanagement or official corruption. Subsequently, most critical reporting on the government gradually subsided, and several journalists were fired for maintaining critical lines. After the coup, the military backed government took charge of the state-run broadcasting and online media to manipulate voters, as they did not permit broadcasting calls for a 'no' vote in the constitutional referendum, and in the period leading up to the December 2007 election the state-run broadcasting media experienced similar restrictions. Furthermore, the military-backed government tried to prevent the launch of People's TV (PTV), which supported the PPP, by denying it the internet access it needed. When the PTV managed to begin operations, the authorities immediately blocked its broadcasts. Also in March, the Public Relations Department took over Thailand's only independent, private broadcast television station, iTV, which was formerly run by a Thaksin-owned company. As to the access to the internet, a Computer Crimes Act took effect in 2007. According to Freedom House 2009 the act provides for significant prison terms for the publication of false information endangering public or national security. In the immediate aftermath of the 2006 coup, Thailand witnessed an increase in cases of political censorship online. In October 2008, the Minister of Communications announced plans to create an internet firewall to block sites hosting critiques of the King. According to Freedom house 2011, Thailand received a downward trend arrow due to the use of violence in attempting to break the demonstrations that took place in April and in May 2010. The government, furthermore, employed emergency powers to curb freedom of expression and political speech. Thailand is ranked 153 out of 178 countries on the Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2010. Freedom House 2011 ranks Thailand 138 out of 196 countries and describes its press environment as 'not free'.

Civil Society: Many NGOs have established themselves in Thailand and work towards a higher degree of transparency and accountability within the public sector. According to Transparency International National Integrity System 2006, in a joint effort, more than 30 NGOs successfully documented corruption within procurement of pharmaceutical products in the Public Health Ministry in 1998. Based on their documentation, the Constitutional Court found the Minister of Health and his collaborators guilty and sentenced them to prison. This case of fruitful networking between anti-corruption organisations included not only NGOs, but also the media, lawyers, doctors in the Ministry of Public Health, as well as the National Anti-Corruption Commission. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation 2010, most of the NGOs have been allowed to progress without government intervention in the past 30 years and many of them have formed alliances with Members of Parliament, senators and bureaucrats. The Thai government has stated that it would like to increase its cooperation with NGOs. Nevertheless, due to interest conflicts, the relationship between the state and NGOs is still antagonistic. The US Department of State 2010 states that NGOs critical of government-sponsored development projects faced periodic harassment during the year.