BANGKOK -- Thailand's swift response to the coronavirus pandemic has drawn praise at home and abroad for being able to stop what was predicted to be a catastrophic wave of deaths in its tracks. However, the government now faces growing criticism that the authoritarian style it used to fight the virus is being used to stifle dissent.
It has been more than a month since the country recorded a new local case of COVID-19 and much of the mask-wearing public now enjoys a near-normal quality of life.
