Since the military took control of government in Thailand on May 22, Live 89.5 FM, Phuket, has been off air, along with thousands of small commercial stations in the country, reports Phuket News.

Concerned that a small core of unlicensed ‘rogue’ stations in the north are stirring political unrest, the military is tracking down and closing them down.

This has led to many small commercial operations not being able to broadcast.

Five leading announcers of Live 89.5 – one of Phuket’s most popular English stations – have been on ‘extended holidays’ until normalcy returns.

Even stations in the tourist city of Pattaya are still off air.

Admitting that it’s been a very difficult time for the entire radio community, Broadcast Manager Tim Newton told the paper: “There will certainly be some smaller stations, maybe even hundreds around Thailand that will simply not be capable of weathering this storm.”