In a sign of increasing online witch-hunting against its political opponents, ASTV-Manager daily newspaper, the mouthpiece of the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), on Monday produced the picture and name of the latest man charged under lese majeste laws.

The newspaper quoted an ultra-royalist social-sanction group (known as the SS) as declaring victoriously: "Another one is down."

The same SS posted much information about the man, a new graduate from Kasetsart University, on its website. The name, photo and details are there to assist, or even encourage, ultra-royalists to send threatening e-mail or make hate phone calls to the man and his family.

The paper editorialised the headline of the news article by stating that the man was "unrepentant for seeking bail". He was, however, granted bail late on Monday.

Not to be outdone, some red shirts asked one of this writer's friends whether she knew the details of the university vice rector who filed lese majeste charges against his own student, so they could launch a counter-witch-hunt against the academic.

There's no sign that such activities will cease any time soon.

Many Thais believe that there is only one single collection of "right" information, knowledge and understanding about the monarchy. Any version, view, or knowledge about the royal institution that, in their minds, is "wrong" or different has no place and therefore must be censored and suppressed, and those giving it voice thrown into jail and made to fear speaking or writing freely again.

Many Thais abhor and seek to suppress differing views because they believe only one single truth and morality exists on certain issues and the right one is often the one to which they subscribe.

A royalist recently asked this writer what would happen without the lese majeste law, and followed the question with an implausible proposition that, suddenly one morning, some 300,000 online users could decide independently to post anti-monarchist messages online, say on Twitter or Facebook.

There was no satisfactory answer to offer him. But using the same bizarre scenario, Thais would have the choice of either having 300,000 people thrown into jail under the lese majeste law and the Computer Crimes Act, in effect painting Thailand in the image of North Korea or at least China, or placing trust in people's ability to decide for themselves what is true and what is false; what should be taken seriously and what should not.

Currently, at least 11 people are in Bangkok Remand Prison alone for alleged breaches of the lese majeste law. It's not clear how many more are in jail in Bangkok and beyond for such "crimes", which are normally not considered criminal acts in democratic societies. And what about those who, out of fear, keep their private conversations about the Palace to soft murmurs?

Those detained include a cook who peddled compact discs of a documentary programme about the Royal Family produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that has probably been watched by tens of thousands in Australia and beyond. Another, a key red-shirt member and magazine editor, Somyos Prueksakasemsuk, is in jail without bail for allowing an anonymous writer to pen two articles that didn't even refer directly to His Majesty the King.

People cannot be forced to appreciate the value and importance of freedom of expression any more than the lese majeste law and the Computer Crimes Act can make some Thais revere the monarchy.

However, without widespread consensus that freedom of expression is one of the fundamental pillars of a free and democratic society, and that this must be protected, Thailand cannot really hope to become a democracy. And the witch-hunting, suppression and jailing of those who think differently, and the state propaganda, will continue, as an excuse for dealing with people who think differently.