Web Crackdown

[bulmercke]

Web Crackdown - The Nation - 08.04.07 -

ICT Ministry orders the shutdown of Pantip's political chatroom for national security reasons

The Information and Communications Technology Ministry has shut down a popular political online chat room, hosted by www.pantip.com, for reasons of national security.

ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom Sunday said the ministry has asked the popular web site www.pantip.com to temporarily close down its Rajdamnoen Room because the ICT has found that several topics discussed in it undermine national security.

The order against Pantip's Rajdamnoen Room, which hosts political discussions with leaning toward remnants of the previous regime, took effect yesterday.

Earlier the ICT was embroiled in another critical decision to shut down YouTube web site altogether YouTube had declined to remove a video clip deemed insulting to His Majesty the King.

Sitthichai said the ministry would allow the web site to open its chat room after the political situation has improved. He would not say when this would happen, hinting only that it might take place soon.

He added that the ICT is sensitive toward any messages or discussions in web sites that border on insulting Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda and His Majesty the King.

He said the ministry also asked www.prachatai.com and www.mthai.com to monitor its political web boards, which allegedly carry several messages affecting the monarchy.

Sitthichai would discuss with acting National Police chief Seripisut Temiyavej about a measure to take legal action against anybody who post the messages deemed harmful to the country.

Pantip web site yesterday also noticed to its attendant that the political page - Rajdamnoen Room was closed for national security reasons at the request of the ICT Ministry.

"The Web page is suspended as requested. We would like to ask members to not post [political messages] in other rooms, otherwise the entire site will be closed. Sorry for any inconvenience," the web site said.

Pantip is the most popular chat room in Thailand and the political pages often feature feisty debate about democracy, the military junta and the legitimacy of the coup that brought it to power last year.

The website is proThaksin camp, going against www.manager.co.th, website of Manager Group of Sondhi Limthongkul.

The Rajdamnoen page was shut down for two weeks shortly after the September coup, which overthrew premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Edited April 8, 2007 by bulmercke

[bulmercke]

Tough action against Internet offenders - Bangkok Post - 08.04.07 -

Bangkok (dpa) - Thailand will take tough action against Internet users posting video clippings they consider offensive to royal family members and creating divisiveness in the Kingdom, a government official said Sunday.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said he planned to meet with acting national Police Chief General Seripisuth Temiyavej this week to consider what action to take against people posting material on the Internet considered to constitute a lese-majeste offence.

-Bangkok Post

[Totster]

Censors extend Internet bans

The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology said it had closed the Internet chat board at Pantip.com and was stepping up surveillance of Internet users to protect national security.

ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said the popular Ratchadamnoen web chat room was "flooded with posts compromising national security". He made the owners of discussion rooms responsible for all posts by all users.

-Bangkok Post

[Jai Dee]

Political chat site shut 'for security'

Govt pulls plug on online board; fuels YouTube censorship row

The government has shut down a popular online political chat room, citing national security as the reason.

The Information and Commu-nications Technology Ministry pulled the plug on the Rajdam-noen Room chat site hosted by the pantip.com website, according to minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom yesterday.

He said it had been temporarily closed after the ministry decided several topics, or threads, undermined national security.

The order was effective yesterday.

The chat room hosts political discussions with a leaning towards remnants of the previous regime.

The ministry is embroiled in another freedom-of-speech row over its decision to bar access to the video-sharing website YouTube after it declined to remove a clip deemed insulting to His Majesty the King.

Sitthichai said the ministry would permit the pantip.com chat room to open again "after the political situation improves". He would not say when this would be but hinted it could be soon.

He added the ministry was sensitive towards messages or discussions on websites that bordered on insulting His Majesty the King and Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda.

He said the ministry asked prachatai.com and mthai.com to monitor its political web boards, which allegedly carried several threads discussing the monarchy.

Sitthichai will consult with acting national police chief General Seripisut Temiyavej about legal action against those submitting content deemed harmful to the country.

Pantip.com yesterday posted a notice stating the Rajdamnoen Room was closed for national security reasons at the request of the ministry.

"The web page is suspended as requested. We would like to ask members not to post [political messages] in other rooms, otherwise the entire site will be closed. Sorry for any inconvenience," the notice said.

Pantip.com is the most popular chat site in Thailand and its political pages often feature feisty debate about democracy, the junta and the legitimacy of the coup.

The website is considered to be pro-Thaksin Shinawatra and anti manager.co.th, the website of the Manager Group controlled by Sondhi Limthongkul.

The Rajdamnoen page was shut for two weeks shortly after the September coup that ousted Thaksin.

Pantip.com founder Wanchat Padungrat yesterday said he could not understand why the chat room had been closed. He added he monitored the content of Rajdamnoen Room and found no aggressive messages insulting the monarchy.

"The ministry does not specify which topics [endanger national security]. It may become sensitive for the junta. However, I am wondering why pantip.com is the only website being censored, while other political sites are untouched," said Wanchat.

Prachatai.com editor Chuwat Rerksirisuk said he and staff ensured the site carried no offensive material. It is prepared to cooperate with the ministry.

"We try to impose self-censorship to prevent libel actions by third persons," Chuwat said.

He disagreed with ministry censorship, saying it did nothing to help the situation.

He was unaware of content deemed offensive to the monarchy, although he noted the ministry informed the site of two threads considered insulting. "We moved quickly to delete them," he said.

He added that 99 per cent of political threads on Prachatai did not discuss the monarchy. The others are trying to use the monarchy and the Privy Council president as tools to shut the site down, he said.

Prachatai.com is a political website which opposes the coup. It attacked the Thaksin government, too.

Media lecturer Darunee Hiranrak said the ministry could shut websites considered insulting to the monarchy and a danger to national security. "Even some details on the web board are not truthful. It could arouse political turmoil," she said.

Last month, the computer-related crimes bill passed its first reading in the National Legislative Assembly and entered the committee stage ahead of its second reading.

The proposed legislation is considered draconian by free-speech advocates because it provides for the punishment of online users and Internet service providers.

The legislation allows for the closing of websites carrying content considered a threat to national security. Critics say the draft gives the government excessive control over the Internet.

Source: The Nation - 9 April 2007

[Jai Dee]

Thailand tightens web crackdown

The move follows a block on the YouTube website for carrying videos mocking the Thai king [AFP]

Thailand has ordered the creators of a popular website to unplug its political forum for postings that allegedly insulted the country's revered monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, officials said.

The order comes less than a week after Thai authorities blocked access to YouTube, for carrying videos that mocked the king.

The chat room of www.pantip.com was taken offline on Sunday after authorities ordered a temporary closure.

Vissanu Meeyoo, an IT ministry spokesman, said the online forum often posted criticisms against the military-installed government leaders.

The site initially posted a notice saying that its political forum, known as the Rajdamnoen Room, was suspended at the ministry's request for "national security" reasons. The notice was later withdrawn.

Unfounded

The forum is named for an area in central Bangkok that has historically been the center of pro-democracy protests.

Wanchat Padungrat, the site's founder, said he found no postings that insulted the monarchy and did not understand the reason for the ban, The Nation newspaper quoted him as saying on Monday.

He suggested that the military-installed government may have been offended by anti-coup postings instead given the lack of specifics on the allegedly offensive postings.

Google Inc., YouTube's owner, has refused to remove the videos but says it is working with the Thai government to resolve the impasse.

A crime

Also on Monday, pantip.com urged members to post messages condemning Google for not removing the video clips that mocked the king.

More than 1,000 people had posted messages, including one that said Google's reaction had "really hurt the people of Thailand" and showed a lack of respect for the country's culture and traditions.

Insulting the monarchy in Thailand is a criminal offense known as lese majeste.

Last month, a Swiss man was imprisoned for 10 years for vandalising portraits of the king in northern Thailand.

The YouTube ban has drawn sharp reactions from critics and proponents in Thailand.

Some have criticised the ban as a violation of freedom of expression and another sign of censorship by the government which took over after a coup ousted Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister.

Source: Aljazeera - 9 April 2007

[Jai Dee]

ICT Ministry temporary closes political chatroom of Pantip.com

The government has shut down a popular political online chat room in Thailand, namely Pantip.com. The government has also blocked YouTube in the country, as the website refuses to remove the clips deemed offensive to His Majesty the King.

According to the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology (ICT), the page called Rajadamneon Room has been temporary suspended for national security reasons.

Pantip's Rajadamneon Room is one of most popular chat rooms in the country, and the pages usually feature feisty debate about democracy, the military junta and the legitimacy of the September coup.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 10 April 2007

[Jai Dee]

ICT Minister says Pantip webmasters decide to close down its political chatroom

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom says the Ministry of ICT did not order Pantip.com to suspend its political chat room, but the webmasters of the website wanted to shut it down because they could not select and identify the people who posted the political comments on the pages.

At the same time, Mr. Sitthichai says the government will continue to block access to the popular video-sharing website YouTube in Thailand until it has decided to take down the clips that are deemed offensive to His Majesty the King. He asserts that YouTube will be accessible in Thailand once the website meets the demand of the government.

The Ministry of ICT is asking for various websites to cooperate with the government by delaying the posts in their chat rooms in order to alleviate the social situation in the country.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 10 April 2007

[Jai Dee]

ICT coordinate with Foreign Affairs Ministry in clarifying reasons for closing YouTube

The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has coordinated with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to clarify with YouTube owners on the reason for their website's closure.

ICT Minister Sitthichai Phokai-udom (สิทธิชัย โภไคยอุดม) spoke about the propagation of offensive video of His Majesty the King via the YouTube website. He says he has already submitted documents to explain why Thailand cannot allow offensive video content to be propagated on the website, due to the political and social disorder that it may cause the nation.

The ICT Minister added that he has asked the Foreign Affairs Ministry to help make understanding with Google, the owner of YouTube as well.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 10 April 2007