Ict Urged To Block Porn Site Abusing Lord Buddha's Identity

[george]

ICT urged to block porn site abusing Lord Buddha's identity

BANGKOK: -- Thailand will take action against a United States-based pornography website for abusing images and the identity of the Lord Buddha.

"It's an act of sacrilege," Culture Ministry monitoring centre chief Ladda Tangsupachai said Sunday.

The site operates out of Chicago and employs the name and images of the Lord Buddha in its content.

Ladda said the centre asked the Information and Communications Technology Ministry to block the site.

The site and its activities have been reported to Culture Minister Khunying Khaisri Sriaroon and ministry permanent secretary Weera Rojpojanarat.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry will approach the United States Embassy in Bangkok.

The issue came to light after a monk who helps the monitoring centre lodged a complaint about the site.

Ladda said Buddhists across the world should condemn the site.

The Nation

--The Nation 2007-01-07

[george]

ICT blocks porn site abusing Buddha's name

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has blocked a US-based pornography website, using the word "Buddha" in a website name, ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom.

The website www.Buddha-porn.com has already been blocked by the ICT ministry. The ICT minister said there are no measures to prevent launching improper websites on the Internet when they are based in other countries.

The ministry can only block such websites after officials detect them, he explained. Minister to the Prime Minister's Office Khunying Dhipavadee Meksawan said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will contact the website owner as a warning before taking legal action against him.

The site was reported to the Ministry of Culture after a Thai Buddhist monk lodged a complaint about it.

--TNA 2007-01-08

[Jai Dee]

ICT Minister discussed CCTVs installation in BKK and obscene websites

Information Communication and Technology Minister Sitthichai Pokai-udom has proposed for the establishment of a working body to coordinate with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Royal Thai Police to analyze the photographs from the Close Circuit Televisions (CCTVs). The government does not have a policy on this matter yet, but the Ministry of ICT is ready to tackle the problems should they occur.

Mr. Sitthichai said the officials in Bangkok are quickly installing CCTVs in many areas throughout the capital following the small bombings in New Year’s Eve. However, he could not specify when the system will be completed.

As for the closing down of a notorious pornographic website, www.buddha-porn.com, Mr. Sitthichai said the only way to prevent such obscene websites to come into Thailand is to block them all. At the same time, the ICT Ministry will be cooperating with the National Telecommunication Commission of Thailand to inspect the obscene websites whose webmasters are in Thailand. Recently, about 15,000 pornographic websites similar to www.buddha-porn.com have been shut down.

Mr. Sitthichai nevertheless would like the general web surfers to immediately inform the ICT Ministry of obscene websites.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 09 January 2007