My Thai links are in the north and, to some extent, Isaan. The perceptions of an elite in Bangkok are not shared elsewhere. And it seems that the junta itself is nervous of what lies around the corner after a noted person's demise. Governments that are confident of the support, or at least acquiescence, of most citizens, do not not need to stifle dissent so crudely. But then an army which depends on conscription of the sons of the very people who are being oppressed has every reason to feel insecure.