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Archive for the ‘Thailand’ Category

TH – Thailand censors more websites as protests persist: (AP)
George Orwell’s ‘1984′ had its Big Brother, and Thailand has Ranongrak Suwanchawee. The country’s information minister stares down from billboards along Bangkok’s expressways, warning that ‘Bad websites are detrimental to society’ and should be reported to a special hot line. The latest crisis in Thailand’s past five years of political turmoil has pushed the government into tightening already tough controls over the Internet. The government has declared a state of emergency, barring the media, under threat of a ban or censorship, from disseminating any news that ’causes panic, instigates violence or affects stability.’ Immediately it ordered 36 politically oriented websites blocked.

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

Web Censoring Widens Across Southeast Asia: “(WSJ)
Attempts to censor the Internet are spreading to Southeast Asia as governments turn to coercion and intimidation to rein in online criticism. Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam lack the kind of technology and financial resources that China and some other large countries use to police the Internet. The Southeast Asian nations are using other methods — also seen in China — to tamp down criticism, including arresting some bloggers and individuals posting contentious views online. See interactive graphics.

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

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Thai group encourages use of VPNs to bypass state censorship | Betanews

by Tim Conneally, February 5, 2009, 2:52 PM

Thailand map (square)In light of the Thai government’s strict censorship rules, anti-censorship group Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) released information yesterday that it describes as ‘easy, legal tools for circumventing Internet censorship.’

The government of Thailand has repeatedly come to blows with Web sites both domestic and foreign over free speech issues. YouTube, for example, was banned for four months in 2007 for hosting content deemed offensive to Thais, and a reported 4,800 sites were blocked by the Information and Communication Technology Ministry (ICT) in March 2008.

Since the institution of the Computer Crime Act of 2007, censorship has become an issue of paramount importance to Thailand.

From the unofficial translation of the law:

Section 14. If any person commits any offence of the following acts shall be subject to imprisonment for not more than five years or a fine of not more than one hundred thousand baht or both: (1) that involves import to a computer system of forged computer data, either in whole or in part, or false computer data, in a manner that is likely to cause damage to that third party or the public; (2) that involves import to a computer system of false computer data in a manner that is likely to damage the country’s security or cause a public panic; (3) that involves import to a computer system of any computer data related with an offence against the Kingdom’s security under the Criminal Code;

While no official blacklist has been published by the government, FACT proclaimed yesterday that the number of sites blocked by the ICT and Royal Thai Police now exceeds 50,000.

Since the Royal Thai Army’s coup d’etat in 2006, there has been ongoing political turmoil in the country, which has lately manifested itself in the conflict between the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the People’s Power Party (PPP). Thai message boards have gone ablaze with political discourse, but police censorship continues to threaten seditious sites.

The Bangkok Post spoke to ICT Minister Ranongruk Suwunchwee last week who said she has single-handedly ordered sites to be blocked without court authority to bypass the red tape of doing it legally.

Thailand’s constitutional courts certainly have had a lot on their hands, with the Prime Minister and his six-party coalition representing the PPP on trial for election fraud. The court on Tuesday dissolved the PPP, the Machima Thipatai party and the Chart Thai party, forcing the Prime Minister — who ceded power in early December — along dozens of party execs into a five-year political exile.

Meanwhile, FACT yesterday issued its ‘easy, legal tools for circumventing Internet censorship,’ to protect the rights of Internet users in this tumultuous period. The group’s solutions involve using VPNs to create a secure exchange of data.

‘Your own private network is located overseas beyond the reach of Thai censors using an encrypted tunnel so that governments and ISPs won’t even be able to see where you’re surfing,’ said the group’s statement yesterday, ‘Unlike anonymous Internet proxies, criminal under the cybercrime law, using VPN makes streaming video and audio freely available.’

Thailand official MICT censorship list, 20 Dec 2008 – Wikileaks: “Thailand official MICT censorship list, 20 Dec 2008″

Analysis
1,203 new websites censored by Thailand

Summary

Wikileaks has released the secret internet censorship lists of Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT). The list was obtained by advisory board member CJ Hinke, director of Freedom Against Censorship Thailand.

The 1,203 newly blocked websites are located in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Vietnam.

Every blocked site has the internally noted reason of “lese majeste” — criticizing the King — however, it is obvious that many sites were blocked for quite different reasons. It would appear, in fact, that the judiciary did not examine most sites before issuing orders but instead rubber-stamped government requests.

A total of 860 YouTube videos have been blocked, far in excess of the blocking conducted by The Official Censor of the Military Coup; a further 200 pages mirroring those videos are also blocked. Curiously, Hillary Clinton’s campaign videos, and 24 Charlie Chaplin videos are also on the censorship lists.

Although we have not yet found the opportunity to examine each website censored, an eclectic mix of censorship has been revealed resulting in overblocking of many benign webpages.

Along with the obligatory YouTube videos and their mirror sites alleged to be lese majeste in Thailand, numerous blocks to Thai webboard pages, particularly at popular discussion sites including Prachatai (45 separate pages) and Same Sky (56 separate pages). Of course, all webboards in Thailand, including those just mentioned, moderate discussions and self-censor to avoid closure. It is interesting that Thai bureaucrats still find reasons to censor.

Also blocked are weblogs referencing Paul Handley’s unauthorised Biography of Thailand’s King Bhumibhol, The King Never Smiles, and its translation into Thai along with Thai Wikipedia entries.

The webpages of respected Thai Buddhist social critic, Sulak Sivaraksa who is currently on bail for his fourth accusation of lese majeste, and Matthew Hunt, respected Thai journalist, anticensorship activist and FACT signer, are also blocked as are pages of the respected international newsmagazine, The Economist.

Typically, web censorship in Thailand is conducted in secret. We think there is a right to know inherent in a free society. We call for transparency and accountability in government and freedom of expression, freedom of communication and freedom of association as fundamental human rights.

On December 21, a new ICT minister was appointed to Cabinet, Ranongruk Suwanchawee. She must be held accountable for censorship. [edit]

See Internet Censorship in Thailand for information about previous censorship lists released by Wikileaks.

1,203 new websites censored by Thailand – Wikileaks: “1,203 new websites censored by Thailand”

December 21, 2008

WIKILEAKS PRESS RELEASE (Wikileaks)

Thailand official MICT censorship list, 20 Dec 2008

Wikileaks has released the secret internet censorship lists of Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT). The list was obtained by advisory board member CJ Hinke, director of Freedom Against Censorship Thailand.

The 1,203 newly blocked websites are located in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Vietnam.

Every blocked site has the internally noted reason of “lese majeste” — criticizing the King — however, it is obvious that many sites were blocked for quite different reasons. It would appear, in fact, that the judiciary did not examine most sites before issuing orders but instead rubber-stamped government requests.

A total of 860 YouTube videos have been blocked, far in excess of the blocking conducted by The Official Censor of the Military Coup; a further 200 pages mirroring those videos are also blocked. Curiously, Hillary Clinton’s campaign videos, and 24 Charlie Chaplin videos are also on the censorship lists.

Although we have not yet found the opportunity to examine each website censored, an eclectic mix of censorship has been revealed resulting in overblocking of many benign webpages.

Along with the obligatory YouTube videos and their mirror sites alleged to be lese majeste in Thailand, numerous blocks to Thai webboard pages, particularly at popular discussion sites including Prachatai (45 separate pages) and Same Sky (56 separate pages). Of course, all webboards in Thailand, including those just mentioned, moderate discussions and self-censor to avoid closure. It is interesting that Thai bureaucrats still find reasons to censor.

Also blocked are weblogs referencing Paul Handley’s unauthorised Biography of Thailand’s King Bhumibhol, The King Never Smiles, and its translation into Thai along with Thai Wikipedia entries.

The webpages of respected Thai Buddhist social critic, Sulak Sivaraksa who is currently on bail for his fourth accusation of lese majeste, and Matthew Hunt, respected Thai journalist, anticensorship activist and FACT signer, are also blocked as are pages of the respected international newsmagazine, The Economist.

Typically, web censorship in Thailand is conducted in secret. We think there is a right to know inherent in a free society. We call for transparency and accountability in government and freedom of expression, freedom of communication and freedom of association as fundamental human rights.

On December 21, a new ICT minister was appointed to Cabinet, Ranongruk Suwanchawee. She must be held accountable for censorship.

Online Censorship in Thailand: Internet Business Law

IBLS Editorial Department- Staff Attorney
Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Thailand has a long history of government- authorized censorship. The 2007 Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand and the 1997 Constitution guarantee freedom of speech with the proviso that censorship may be imposed in certain circumstances. Additionally, Thailand’s Computer-Related Crimes Act, which was introduced by the military junta, imposes some limitations by penalizing a range of computer-related speeches.

The 2007 Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand guarantees freedom of speech but a law may impose censorship ‘for the purpose of maintaining the security of the State, protecting the rights, liberties, dignity, reputation, family or privacy rights of other persons, maintaining public order or good morals or preventing or halting the deterioration of the mind or health of the public.’

One of the first orders passed by the military junta that took power in Thailand on September 19, 2006, was to appoint an Official Censor of the Military Coup. The military junta took its cue from the overthrown elected government, which had publicly stated that it intended to block 800,000 Websites from Internet users in Thailand. Between the ascension of the military junta and Thailand’s general election in December 2007, the Official Censor blocked 17,793. In addition, the Royal Thai Police claimed having blocked a further 32,500 Websites.

Thais block anti-royal websites: “Thailand plans to spend millions of dollars on an internet firewall, to block websites deemed insulting to the monarchy.”

(Via BBC News.)

Thailand clamps down on rude websites: “

You’d think they have bigger problems

Thai authorities have reportedly moved to shut down hundreds of websites they view as a threat to national security, amid ongoing civil unrest in Bangkok.…

“

(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

Thai government censors Internet for ‘national security’: “

Sylvie Barak the Inquirer, Wednesday 3 September 2008. 23:42:00

Thai the interweb down, sport

SHOWING THE WORLD what it really thinks about all this democracy rubbish, the Thai government has decided to close down and block over 1600 websites, purportedly in the name of national security. Mun Patanotai, Thailand’s Information and Communications Technology Minister, yesterday petitioned his country’s courts to close down some 400…

(Via The Inquirer.)

Censoring Free Speech in Thailand:

Thailand’s military junta’s fifth order following its coup d’etat September 19, 2006 was to appoint an Official Censor of the Military Coup. The overthrown elected government had publicly stated that it intended to block 800,000 websites.

Thailand’s Official Censor never got that far but he did manage to block 17,793 sites before a general election. In addition the Royal Thai Police claim to block a further 32,500. The junta obviously considered the Internet a dangerous place as its ICT Ministry introduced a Computer-Related Crimes Act to the military-appointed parliament as its first law.

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