When the government declared the emergency powers act last June, a group of editors and journalists gathered to show defiance, urging the powers-that-be to respect media freedom.

The act gives the authorities power to censor news regardless of the medium and to ban the sale of newspapers.

Then in October, Grammy Entertainment Group attempted a hostile takeover of the respected Thai daily, Matichon, a move that brought more than 100 journalists together to condemn the deal, which was subsequently aborted.

But yesterday's event was exceptional by any standard. Four dozen senior editors mingled with younger colleagues and aspiring journalists, everyone learning together and from each other.

Attendees expressed their feeling that threats against the media have intensified under the leadership of Thaksin Shinawatra and morphed into tactics more sophisticated than simple physical intimidation.

Younger journalists in the field cannot do their job in the same secure environment that prevailed before Thaksin's tenure. At the same time, the government's unruly supporters have besieged editors and staffers in their offices.

The meeting thus focused on the common ways and means that media professionals can combat the government's effort to muzzle them.

All those present at the event denounced the recent series of attacks on The Nation and Manager offices by Thaksin supporters.

Last Thursday's events at the Nation Multimedia Group's headquarters was the first time that a media outlet has been forced to hold out against such an extended siege by organised demonstrators.

In a joint statement issued after two hours of debate, journalists concluded that the demonstrators in question were backed by a Cabinet minister from the Thaksin government.

"It was a blatant violation of the law and constitutional rights," said the statement.

Moreover, there have been other incidents targeting journalists. An editor of the Nation Channel TV network was punched in the head during news coverage of a political rally on March 30 at Chiang Mai University.

Media representatives see a pattern of systematic harassment and intimidation against those publications that have been critical of Thaksin and his Cabinet.

In past years, the government has used economic incentives and limits on access to information as tools to interfere with editorial content.

Discussions focused on a few figures from Thai Rak Thai Party's top echelons, including Newin Chidchob, Prommin Lertsuridej and Suranand Vejjajiva, and their roles in advising Thaksin and mapping out strategies to muzzle the free media. All of them have a long history of criticising the independent media and journalists.

During closed-door discussions yesterday, editors and publishers concurred that the government must take responsibility after its supporters threatened the lives of Thais and foreigners working at Nation Group's office. The culprits must be brought to justice.

What the demonstrators did not seem to understand was that if attacks on the Nation Group had continued, it would have become an international issue tarnishing the image of Thaksin's caretaker government. Nationals from at least 10 different countries including the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Japan, China, India, Malaysia and the Philippines work at the site and are being threatened.

The last time several hundred journalists got together was in July of 1997, when the National Press Council of Thailand was formed to counter the government's plans to set up a state-run press council.

The self-regulatory body now receives and investigates public complaints about media misconduct and issues related to media ethics. In the past seven years, it has received more than 200 complaints regarding sensationalistic coverage alone.

The meeting yesterday ended with a resolution in the form of a joint editorial to be published on April 11 in all daily publications.

This is first time in the history of Thai journalism that the media community has taken such a strong, unified position to counteract harassment by the government.

The editorial is an act of courage and solidarity reiterating that this government has followed neither the spirit nor the letter of Articles 39 and 41 enshrined in the Constitution.

Worse, it has tried to create a hostile environment where the independent media cannot function as a watchdog. Journalists vow to uphold their professional responsibility to keep the public informed without fail and urge the government to stop its insidious plots.

With common resolve, regardless of differences and competition, journalists must work and stand together. Their renewed fraternity will now form a bulwark against any possible government attempt to restrict the media's freedom.

Kavi Chongkittavorn