Internet "not Exciting"

[nikster]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/04/15...es_30031904.php

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Sitthichai gets no kick from the Net

Information and Communica-tions Technology Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom says the Internet is not an "exciting" tool - a strange sentiment, maybe, for the man who guides the technology in Thailand.

The minister has ordered five websites blocked since he assumed the position eight months ago.

He admitted he was not information-technology savvy and made minimum use of the Internet. The reason Sitthichai, 59, is not excited by the Internet is simple: "I'm old."

"I have an e-mail account but rarely check it; normally I use the telephone." He visits two websites only on a regular basis.

Sitthichai, an associate professor in electronics, often visits the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers site. At ieee.org he updates his professional knowledge.

And at pgatour.com he can monitor golf tournaments and other sports.

He said he had "not even glanced" at most of the five sites he was responsible for closing.

"I once visited pantip.com and was confused by its many rooms. I quit and never went back," he said.

Pantip.com is a leading portal website in Thailand, and it hosts the popular Rajdamnoen Room, a virtual public space for people to share political opinions. The chat room was one of the five sites Sitthichai barred.

He insisted he had been approached by the webmaster at pantip.com, who had said the site was unable to control comments being made about Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda.

Other sites he has blocked are Camfrog for allegedly showing live, lewd acts by webcam users and YouTube for presenting a video clip considered insulting to the monarchy. He cannot remember the others. They were pornography sites.

Camfrog was reopened after being blocked for about 10 days. YouTube remains off limits to surfers in Thailand.

Both are overseas based and popular in Thailand. Sitthichai admitted he did not know the purpose of the two sites or what users did at them.

His decision to block sites or issue warnings to webmasters are based on opinions and suggestions from about 20 ministry staff and state-owned CAT Telecom, who monitor the online world around the clock.

He was presented with "hard-copy" evidence of the sites along with proposals to block them.

During his time with the portfolio he has received as many as 100 recommendations to shut sites. Just five deserved it, he said. It does not take him long to decide which sites will be blocked.

"The most important issue is lese majeste. That makes the decision easy. Then comes threats to national security and the morality of society," he said.

He sets his own criteria. To criticise the Privy Council president is a threat to national security, he said.

He instantly ordered YouTube off limits because the offending material "touched on the untouchable of Thailand".

Sitthichai realises his job is not easy. Information often comes with challenges to national taboos.

The dilemma is balancing the basic rights of people to information and those national taboos. The international community has slammed him for his actions, but he could have been pilloried at home by allowing material offensive to the nation to be distributed, he said.

Of the international incident the YouTube action has become he said: "I didn't mean to prevent Thai people having access to all of the website, but I wanted to show the world how important the monarchy was to this country and its people."

Sitthichai said the monarchy was vital to Thailand and its people and the institution was above politics.

He described Western criticism as "hypocritical".

"If it [YouTube owner Google] truly respects human rights and the flow of information, why does it self-censor information the Chinese government considers improper simply to gain access to that market?" he asked.

Every community has its own taboos and respected institutions that should not be criticised, he added.

"Remember when church and religion were taboo? Those challenging their religion were punished," he said.

Pennapa Hongthong

The Nation

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[kayo]

there is really no point in saying anything about this. the article speaks for itself.

[jasreeve17]

I did some work for one of the biggest Thai Companies, while doing some one on one meetings with a very senior manager (thousands of people under his wing) he told me that he never read his emails. Ever.

If it was important, then somebody would call him or come and see him...

Thailand is not called a "developing country" for nothing.

[Phil Conners]

Maybe they should find someone more suitable for the job, shouldn't be difficult.

[nikster]

there is really no point in saying anything about this. the article speaks for itself.

exactly what I was thinking... the only hope is that elections will be held soon...

[fxm88]

Information and Communica-tions Technology Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom says the Internet is not an "exciting" tool - a strange sentiment, maybe, for the man who guides the technology in Thailand.

Clearly, this poor man does not understand the Internet:

By the way, President George W. Bush also does not use e-mail. Maybe these guys know something we don't?

[Dakhar]

He had to sift through 100 proposals in 8 months. So that would be one every 2 days or so. Difficult indeed. The stress must be horendous.

[peaces]

"If it [YouTube owner Google] truly respects human rights and the flow of information, why does it self-censor information the Chinese government considers improper simply to gain access to that market?" he asked.

What does the minister mean by saying the above. Is He the minister for internet in china also? oh right he is saying that china owns google. ok.

[Dakhar]

"If it [YouTube owner Google] truly respects human rights and the flow of information, why does it self-censor information the Chinese government considers improper simply to gain access to that market?" he asked.

What does the minister mean by saying the above. Is He the minister for internet in china also? oh right he is saying that china owns google. ok.

Notice Google was not shut down? If you watched the articles, it was first all about u-tube, then concern went to google, then concern swung back to u-tube. Easier target I guess.

[RadioCityMike]

"And at pgatour.com he can monitor golf tournaments and other sports."

Hmmm. The many great Thai golfers are on www.europeantour.com or www.asiantour.com. I don't believe the pgatour reports on the Asian or European tour. If he used www.golfchannel.com he could at least cover all the tours.

It seems that Thai golfers are not popular with the Bangkok elite because they are a little too tan.

[Plus]

There was some other guy, not this IT minister, who simply said that youtube doesn't give a rat's ass about Thailand but it wouldn't dare to dare Chinese sensors.

"Freedom" is a code word for market share. In Google/Yahoo's eye China's "freedom" is too big to argue with but Thailand's is insignificant and so Google feels it has to lecture Thais for the lack of "freedom". When Thais get a lot of "freedom" on the internet, Google will start respecting it.

[quiksilva]

There was some other guy, not this IT minister, who simply said that youtube doesn't give a rat's ass about Thailand but it wouldn't dare to dare Chinese sensors.

"Freedom" is a code word for market share. In Google/Yahoo's eye China's "freedom" is too big to argue with but Thailand's is insignificant and so Google feels it has to lecture Thais for the lack of "freedom". When Thais get a lot of "freedom" on the internet, Google will start respecting it.

which will never happen with an IT minister who doesnt 'get' the internet...

[LivinLOS]

Everyone who keep citing this google censorship...

There is an enormous difference between google not indexing pages (but not touching thier content) over youtube removing user posted content that is not offensive to 99% of the world..

[Barney_the_Dinosaur]

Minister should spend more time in Thaivisa's gay forum. Thats exciting. Well it was once.

[Crushdepth]

The minister has done such an excellent job of digging a hole, throwing himself in and then filling it up on top of himself that I cannot think of anything sufficiently caustic to say.

[kmart]

The minister has done such an excellent job of digging a hole, throwing himself in and then filling it up on top of himself that I cannot think of anything sufficiently caustic to say.

Rather precludes any punchline, doesn't he? That's pretty much Thailand all over; riding down the super-information highway. On a buffalo cart.

[dave111223]

Amazing; how does he still have a job?

[Bottlerocket]

WHAT AN ANTIQUATED OLD BUFFOON.

[Simmo]

I worked briefly at a dot bomb way back in the 90's boom. The IT boss would get his secretary to print out his emails and he would hand write a reply for her to type up and send. Needless to say that place tanked quickly after the crash.

[p_brownstone]

Amazing; how does he still have a job?

Maybe he doesn't.

I mean - perhaps he was fired via Email?

Patrick

[isaanbrit]

Does this chap not know that you can get free porn on the internet?

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

[pete_r]

Amazing; how does he still have a job?

His bosses are older than him. Is it safe to guess that they don't use internet either?

[mumbojumbo]

This minister has scummed to the"Peter Principle", a book way back that states an individual will be

elevated to his/her level of incompetency.

[lost_in_space]

There was some other guy, not this IT minister, who simply said that youtube doesn't give a rat's ass about Thailand but it wouldn't dare to dare Chinese sensors.

"Freedom" is a code word for market share. In Google/Yahoo's eye China's "freedom" is too big to argue with but Thailand's is insignificant and so Google feels it has to lecture Thais for the lack of "freedom". When Thais get a lot of "freedom" on the internet, Google will start respecting it.

It kind of reminds me of a George Bush (Senior) chant that Doonesbury made fun of, as George was improving business ties with China despite its appalling human rights record.

"A billion Cokes a day...a billion Cokes a day..."

[chingching]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/04/15...es_30031904.php

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He described Western criticism as "hypocritical".

"If it [YouTube owner Google] truly respects human rights and the flow of information, why does it self-censor information the Chinese government considers improper simply to gain access to that market?" he asked.

I think this one point he makes is well taken. You Tube, Google, and Yahoo, will react differenty to requests made by China vs. requests by Thailand. If you were sitting in a bar minding your own business, not bothering anyone, and a street urchin came up to you and told you to "Go home, now" would you get up and go home? Now what if the Chief of Police came up to you and said exactly the same words? Would you have exactly the same reaction.

If Google, at China's request does not index pages,I don't see how this is vastly different from deleting the content. An unindexed page will make it virtually non-existant to what 80-90% of Chinas population.

Yahoo turned over emails to China's government that got a man put in prison for 10 years. We will see what Yahoo's response will be if the Thai govt makes a similar request.

As to the rest of the article I agree with the majority. Perhaps he is a buffoon, but perhaps that is exactly why he is there.

[A_Traveller]

On this point about acting differently between Thailand and China, there's an interesting article in the Bangkok Post technology section on this. Extract:-

Article

Between the Lines Geoff Long

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Personally I don't have a fixed position when it comes to censorship. Pornography: I'm more offended by high-end designer ads using kids in soft-core porn poses to sell their wares than I am by hard-core porn, which I can more easily avoid. I would also use self-censorship to protect someone's reputation if there wasn't a good reason for besmirching it. On the other hand, deflating egos, rounding up sacred cows and skewering with satire should all be made into competitive sports, as far as I'm concerned.

And let's not forget that YouTube, in reality Google, its owner, has a similarly dithering position when it comes to censorship. As most people are aware, Google heavily censors the search results for its Chinese search engine. Why? Because the Chinese Government asked them to. Yet when Thailand asks the GoogleTube to remove a video because its insulting to the monarchy, it brings out the freedom of expression arguments. That's not freedom, that's hypocrisy.

Here's another example that you might not be aware of. There's a World Cup of Cricket happening right now, usually at a time when most of us in this part of the world are in bed. So a popular way to see the highlights was to go to YouTube to see short clips of the action. Yet Google also saw fit to drop any video of the action. Why? Because the International Cricket Council asked them to. Apparently it offended the commercial rights holders.

=========================================

Regards

Link

Article

/edit link //

Edited April 18, 2007 by A_Traveller

[Plus]

There was a letter in today's Nation.

It drew parallels between sacking of Don Imus, an American talk show host, and Youtube affair. When Don Imus said something politically incorrect about women basketball team, the whole hel_l broke loose - angry letters, sponsors pulling out, network apologising to its viewers etc. etc.

Did anyone from youtube apologise to 65 million Thais?

http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/04/18/let...rs_30032081.php

[sgunn65]

2 points here.

One: In the uk ministers usually have absolutely NO idea of the area they are in charge of and are advised by civil servants. They just pretend to be experts. At least this guy is honest. Perhaps the future is bright after all if Thailand is getting honest politicians!

Two: The west is hypocritical. No-one dares mention China and Googles spineless greed but everyone will knock Thailand.

If you believe the West has a franchise on Democracy try publishing a cartoon in Denmark that COULD MAYBE be seen to be slightly mocking Islam. Or make a statement supporting the far right in Germany. I could go on. There is censorship everywhere and there are no go areas everywhere. Most of them will seem stupid to many but very important to the few or vice versa.

[Dakhar]

All I can say is respect.

I can see U-tube's view. I can also see Thailand's view. I don't know though, pigs, owls, rabbits, cows, wooden crosses, virgin Marry and this list can go on for sacred/respectable matters to other cultures/countries

of the world. It is hard to keep the world happy while the world is shrinking.

Heck Richard Geere kissed an Indian girl the other day, and the next thing you know India wants a war! Woops, so sorry.

I do not see the parrelel with Don Imus, the U-tube clip you would have to hunt down, find it, down load it and watch it and it is world wide. Don is more of a domestic issue.

But aint this off topic?

[A_Traveller]

To return to topic, if here ran an effective civil service then the fact that the minister didn't know one end of a {computer} mouse from the other would be less of an issue.

But the approach here is to direct from the centre, therefore if the person giving the directions doesn't even know what the topography of the road is, let alone which way the vehicle is facing {to stretch a metaphor to breaking} what hope has technology development or infrastructure have?

It would appear that given the blind panic caused by 'new media' and the inability to appreciate the benefit, to the country, of an effective internet and public communication infrastructure as part of a dynamic economy, the minister s probably going to be lauded for his approach, not castigated.

Maybe the country will get lucky over the weekend and the shuffle will deliver a more open minded individual.

Is there a finger crossed emoticon?

Regards