Khánh saw the tense situation as an opportunity to increase his power. On August 7, he declared a state of emergency, giving the police the ability to search properties under any circumstances, ban protests and arbitrarily jail "elements considered as dangerous to national security".[2] He further enacted censorship to stop "the circulation of all publications, documents, and leaflets considered as harmful to public order".[2] Khánh produced a new constitution, known as the Vũng Tàu Charter,[5] which would have augmented his personal power at the expense of the already-limited Minh.