BANGKOK: Thailand’s junta chief Friday vowed to shut down critical media outlets as he faced a growing international backlash against his decision to replace martial law with new powers retaining his absolute authority.

Bemoaning critics of his regime, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha ordered the media to toe the regime’s line or face consequences.

“I will shut them down only when they don’t say good things. I have not yet shut down any publications but please write in a good way. If it is not good, then I will need to do that,” a stern-faced Prayut told reporters during a visit to a military college in Bangkok.

Prayut officially lifted martial law on Wednesday, 10 months after seizing power in a May coup.

But the controversial law was replaced with a new executive order retaining sweeping powers for him and the military.

Among the new rules in the order is a provision allowing military officers to stop the publication or presentation of any news they deem to be “causing fear or distorted information.”

While media freedoms have been curbed since the coup, four bodies representing local Thai media condemned the new press law saying the measures “interfere with the rights and freedom of people and media much more than martial law did.”

The order that replaced martial law was passed under Section 44 of the junta-written interim constitution, a controversial provision handing Prayut power to make any executive decision in the name of national security.