The junta is intensifying intimidation of academics who criticise the generals’ efforts to stay in power by sending army officers to their homes, a Thai rights group said on Wednesday.
Since the military seized power nearly two years ago, at least 77 academics have been harassed at home by officers advising them to adjust their critical mindset or ordered to attend camps for indoctrination, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Those who attend the camps are usually released within a couple of days.
At least five academics have been forced into exile, said Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen, a member of the lawyers' group, which provides legal aid and monitors rights violations and is influential with international NGOs, the European Union and other foreign governments.
"With legitimacy stretching thin and achievements falling flat, the junta feels the pressure to silence critics to maintain its power," Mr Poonsuk told Reuters.
The country's generals have struggled to revive Southeast Asia's second-largest economy after ousting a democratically elected government in 2014 to end months of political unrest that was damaging business.
There have been scattered protests against military rule, but they were quickly quelled by troops and police.
Some Thais welcomed the coup after months of anti-government street protests, but critics accuse the military of delaying a return to democracy by pushing back the date for elections.
Rights groups say the regime has used authoritarian methods to systematically repress rights and muzzle critics.
In a Feb 24 report, Amnesty International said Thailand had dismissed international calls not to silence dissent.
Last week, self-exiled prominent Thai academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun took to social media to accuse the junta of intimidating his family in Thailand.
"To hunt me is already unacceptable. But for them to go after my family is really too much," he told Reuters via Skype.
"This has to be the junta's most daring move yet," said Mr Pavin, who gives lectures abroad on sensitive topics that can lead to long jail terms in Thailand.
National Council for Peace and Order spokesman Col Winthai Suvaree denied that the military is pursuing academics with greater zeal and told Reuters he was unaware of any intimidation of Mr Pavin's family.
Mr Pavin had his passport revoked in 2014 after he ignored an NCPO summons to attend a military "attitude adjustment" session while abroad.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in July for failing to show up.
The government's pursuit of academics highlights its growing insecurity, said Kan Yuenyong, an analyst at the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank.
"The military sees academics as a mouthpiece whose messages carry big significance," said Mr Kan. "Their criticism can do a lot to undermine the junta's legitimacy."