Single gateway for internet still under study, Thai minister says

[sawadee1947]

I knew they would somehow run a BETA testing today,.... has anyone been experiencing any snail a**** connection problems, with Microsoft Outlook not working, Social Media down, and even Thaivisa not loading, from 12.00 pm to 1.45 pm?

Does anyone have any problems Facebook loading not corrrectly?

yes... they are making the changes now. many Thai forums very slow to load. just like what they do in China for external website. Makes it next to impossible to use.

TV has been slow for days. Unusable last night from within Thailand.

yes, I got the same: low downloads, esp. from EU or US. But also, and that matters as much, downloading THAIVISA. Does anybody got similar problems with TV ?

[quandow]

I'm still not sure - is this plan just for traffic going in and out of the country, or for ALL internet traffic ?.

Because some posters here have got themselves into a right lather thinking their LINE messages might get blocked.

The first might happen but the second definitely will not.

I read yesterday that Thailand was considering MONITORING Line traffic, absolutely NOTHING about blocking it. The Thai girls on Soi 6 wouldn't know what to do with themselves if there were no Line.

Remember the good old days where you could hear the wild cry of "Sexy man!" on Soi 6? Now they're hunched over, their heads buried in their phones. Sometimes progress ain't so good . . .

[Time Traveller]

Since the current law allows the Prime Minister to literally do anything he wants without consequences, why does he need to annouce to anyone they are building a single internet gateway? And why would anyone beleive what he says?

If I was the Prime Minister, my biggest fear wouldn't be that I was caught out telling lies or building surveillance programs. My biggest fear is that someday the leadership would be overthrown and new leader would hold me legally accountable for all this funk that's being created. Yep, I'd want to be Prime Minister for as long as possible. For life, even. Given what he's trying to do to previous leaders it's something that really must wiegh on his mind.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Time Traveller

[jesimps]

I'm still not sure - is this plan just for traffic going in and out of the country, or for ALL internet traffic ?

Does it matter, John? Even you must admit this is a preposterous idea either way, or....?

Not even with the thumbscrews on and electric cables connected to his gonads.

[animatic]

As usual someone in charge sees a problem,

some underling proposes a solution of which he

doesn't understand the cost or consequences of implementation.

While the underling sends someone lower still to check feasibility,

the guy up top just makes a public pronouncement this will happen.

Regardless of realities, abilities, costing or actual need.

Feasibility gets ramrodded straight up the pooper by

the instant and endless howling the announcement causes.

Then we watch 2 weeks of walking the pronouncement

back to real world, and the face saving paper-over job commences.

And we are told, 'you just didn't understand what was meant'.

yadaa yadda yadda

This idea is a dead horse being shot for the 50th time so far this decade.

Edited September 30, 2015 by animatic

[Benmart]

I am not in control of what this regime says or does. My decisions are based on what happens in the future. I try not to worry and beat the drum for an audience that does not listen to my tune.

[Kru Baa]

"messages deemed harmful to national security". Translation: people telling the truth about the situation the country is in.

"Please don’t oppose the single gateway if you don’t understand it.” Translation: Please don't tell the truth about what we are trying to pull.

Oh, but we do understand it. That's the problem.

[Doc46]

"The military government’s plan to route all internet traffic in and out of the kingdom through a single gateway won’t happen anytime soon, a top official said today." = it will probably happen tomorrow.

It won't happen overnight But it Will happen

[MaxLee]

My 2 cents worth. If they succeed in implementing a single gateway then this will be the downfall of the current leader. No one and I mean no one with any sense of

the outside world here in Thailand will accept this.

They need to tread lightly on this issue. The old saying goes Once you open Pandora's box you cannot close it again.

The Pandora of the Internet and free access has been around for more than 25 years so trying to cap it will have I am sure severe reaction from the Thais

Right,.... they would have to risk, that millions of kids and adolescents in Thailand will go paranoia into Suicide mode to the dismay of their overworked parents. Mass suicide Cyber paranoia, if I may exeggerate .....

"messages deemed harmful to national security". Translation: people telling the truth about the situation the country is in.

"Please don’t oppose the single gateway if you don’t understand it.” Translation: Please don't tell the truth about what we are trying to pull.

Oh, but we do understand it. That's the problem.

or in other words, making high influential officials and personalities lose face is a serious offense

Edited September 30, 2015 by MaxLee

[taony]

I went abroad on Wednesday and came back Sunday evening. Sometime during that period the internet slowed down enough that i couldn't load webpages or watch tv through my internet box. Later Sunday i could use my laptop, but still can't watch tv as of this morning

[elgordo38]

“They are studying the possibility of this plan, because there is a lot of information flowing in and out,” Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong said.

Very perceptive indeed, but that sir, is precisely what the internet was intended for, the flow of information. It's a big world out there.

And you and your colleagues are trying to stop it. Bad move.

You say bad move? Can you make me feel better and give me an example of a Good move. Bad move seems to head the leader board.

[jaywalker]

I stumbled on a website weeks back that I assumed would inform me of Liverpool's most recent Premier League triumph. The name of the site: whatsthescore.com Access to the site: Denied. For three weeks.

That is a level of stupidity typical of everything, no exception, the current administration handles so I'm not too worried about their firewall. My guess is they will give it a real try, not just the elbow in the bath-water --then be informed of the ghastly consequences, precisely like the alcohol ban that, till now, is the single most stupid "plan" [it's interesting that Thai had to import the falang word]. We all stay tuned.

Plan........

I first hit Thailand in 1999, and met up with a retired JUSMAG (Joint US Military Advisory Group) bird colonel who spoke fluent Thai and had been in Thailand for 25 years by then.

He was our local Thailand agent. I was a field rep on vacation.

I spoke a great deal about future business plans for Thailand.

He scoffed & laughed & said, "There IS NO WORD in the Thai language for PLAN."

Edited September 30, 2015 by jaywalker

[notmyself]

Remember the good old days where you could hear the wild cry of "Sexy man!" on Soi 6? Now they're hunched over, their heads buried in their phones. Sometimes progress ain't so good . . .

Entire world is getting like that

Edited September 30, 2015 by notmyself

[Muirton]

How can Thailand's Space Hub at Hua Hin, how can Chinese passengers on their high-speed train through the LOS, how can an aircraft or two for the aircraft carrier, how can our three submarines communicate if the 'net is shut down?

[MaxLee]

How can Thailand's Space Hub at Hua Hin, how can Chinese passengers on their high-speed train through the LOS, how can an aircraft or two for the aircraft carrier, how can our three submarines communicate if the 'net is shut down?

Write a letter by hand, go to post office and send by Airmail to the Land of smiles,.... but be careful, the regular post office is full of thieves who can break the packages and get away with it....

[reptile91602]

Lock up the small Thai brains and make them even smaller. Good idea. I always say that they should never have let foreigners into Thailand except by strict controls and never let Thais change there culture from the turn of the 19th century. No cars, no radios , or tv's or phones and keep it a pristine culture for the future generations of the world to study like a museum. Us falang would come and pay a high price to visit this ancient culture. The only one of it's kind left on the earth. I think that is what this government may want now. I am all for it.

[Raybangkok]

I think it must depend on the area you live in my internet speed remains fast with easy access to all sites. My wifi is also as was speed can be reduced by the number of switches in a certain area and how busy they are. I think that it has nothing to do with any outside influences only certain news items on yahoo get blocked until read and cleared

[Shaunduhpostman]

Agree that TOT internet has been sporadic and weird the last couple of days. Early yesterday morning, I think around 1 am, Facebook was "unavailable" according to a message on the screen for about an hour. Never seen that before. Youtube has worked really well for at least the last 6 months, it is now back to not playing most videos beyond the first third of the video or so before hanging indefinitely. May be a coincidence, who knows. But on the eve of the coup my own service went completely to hell, went from excellent to unuseable most days for months and nothng TOT could or would do about it. That is a pretty weird coincidence if indeed it is one. Seems they periodically throttle the whole country when they get paranoid, perhaps Prayuth being at the UN is making them do this, but again who the hell knows?

[animatic]

Lock up the small Thai brains and make them even smaller. Good idea. I always say that they should never have let foreigners into Thailand except by strict controls and never let Thais change there culture from the turn of the 19th century. No cars, no radios , or tv's or phones and keep it a pristine culture for the future generations of the world to study like a museum. Us falang would come and pay a high price to visit this ancient culture. The only one of it's kind left on the earth. I think that is what this government may want now. I am all for it.

Oh you mean Bhutan, but with sea access?

[dageurreotype]

WELCOME TO 1984, WHERE THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLS EVERYTHING YOU DO. Now with the non-elite getting more information than the ELITE deem allowable , then this is a way to curb the knowledge and the peons.

WAKE UP THAILAND YOUR FREEDOMS ENSHINED BY M,ANY A CHARTER AND CONSTITUTION ARE AT RISK . You are not allowed to critise the Government or you might get some Attitude Adjustment , sort of modern day Auschwitz without the Gas Chambers

Just this afternoon I was talking with two Englishmen who have been working in Beijing for the past three years and asked them about their internet connection. They told me they must use VPN's as Google was banned of course (think about that!) and that anything that did get through, like the protests in Hong Kong were immediately removed. The reality of it, for those used to mostly unfettered access to the Rest Of The World, albeit annoying and silly arbitrary website take downs, was shocking. I hope I'm was right in thinking they wouldn't be able to either implement nor sustain it, however, I too have been experiencing slowdowns/not loading at all the past few days and a conspiracy theorist I most certainly am not, but begs the question, what are they currently preparing to keep hidden?

[MaxLee]

WELCOME TO 1984, WHERE THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLS EVERYTHING YOU DO. Now with the non-elite getting more information than the ELITE deem allowable , then this is a way to curb the knowledge and the peons.

WAKE UP THAILAND YOUR FREEDOMS ENSHINED BY M,ANY A CHARTER AND CONSTITUTION ARE AT RISK . You are not allowed to critise the Government or you might get some Attitude Adjustment , sort of modern day Auschwitz without the Gas Chambers

Just this afternoon I was talking with two Englishmen who have been working in Beijing for the past three years and asked them about their internet connection. They told me they must use VPN's as Google was banned of course (think about that!) and that anything that did get through, like the protests in Hong Kong were immediately removed. The reality of it, for those used to mostly unfettered access to the Rest Of The World, albeit annoying and silly arbitrary website take downs, was shocking. I hope I'm was right in thinking they wouldn't be able to either implement nor sustain it, however, I too have been experiencing slowdowns/not loading at all the past few days and a conspiracy theorist I most certainly am not, but begs the question, what are they currently preparing to keep hidden?

I wonder how they do (E-)business in CHINA with such a restriction of Single Bottleneck dial up snail pace Internet.....

[huss14]

I knew they would somehow run a BETA testing today,.... has anyone been experiencing any snail a**** connection problems, with Microsoft Outlook not working, Social Media down, and even Thaivisa not loading, from 12.00 pm to 1.45 pm?

Does anyone have any problems Facebook loading not corrrectly?

I have the same problems lately, so this could be the problem, but I am not sure

[dageurreotype]

WELCOME TO 1984, WHERE THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLS EVERYTHING YOU DO. Now with the non-elite getting more information than the ELITE deem allowable , then this is a way to curb the knowledge and the peons.

WAKE UP THAILAND YOUR FREEDOMS ENSHINED BY M,ANY A CHARTER AND CONSTITUTION ARE AT RISK . You are not allowed to critise the Government or you might get some Attitude Adjustment , sort of modern day Auschwitz without the Gas Chambers

Just this afternoon I was talking with two Englishmen who have been working in Beijing for the past three years and asked them about their internet connection. They told me they must use VPN's as Google was banned of course (think about that!) and that anything that did get through, like the protests in Hong Kong were immediately removed. The reality of it, for those used to mostly unfettered access to the Rest Of The World, albeit annoying and silly arbitrary website take downs, was shocking. I hope I'm was right in thinking they wouldn't be able to either implement nor sustain it, however, I too have been experiencing slowdowns/not loading at all the past few days and a conspiracy theorist I most certainly am not, but begs the question, what are they currently preparing to keep hidden?

I wonder how they do (E-)business in CHINA with such a restriction of Single Bottleneck dial up snail pace Internet.....

Where did I say they were '(E-)businessmen'? As it happens, they were teachers. dotdotdot dolt

[mogo51]

Oh I dont know,th everybody 'be happy' was pretty stupid!!!

[jcisco]

Obviously no one with a real internet networking background is involved with the study. The problem with a single gateway is the same as with a pipe of water. The volume going through the pipe depends not only on the speed of the water going through but also the width of the pipe. Both can constrain the volume of water going through the pipe.

A single gateway implies a single sea cable or requiring providers to have all their connections go through a single site. Means Routing all existing cables. Neither realistic with the volumes in Thailand. Single site would mean if there was a catastrophic event at the site, or even a partial shutdown, ALL internet connections would be down. Welcome to North Korea.

It's a repeat of when Thaksin was putting up the satellites and going force internet traffic to use the satellites by limiting the amount of sea cables coming into the country. Satellites just can't handle the volume as a sea cable can.

Oddly enough tonight is the launch I believe of a NBN communications satellite for the new NBN high speed internet network in Australia. And Ku Band communications has plenty of bandwidth and competes quite well against cables..

Also note that a single gateway doesn't mean a single physical endpoint, it just a routing infrastructure in which comms pass through certain nodes.

[jcisco]

"Actually, it is not to have only one gateway," he said. "The idea [of this] is how to utilise the nation's resources, Internet and telecoms. For example, is it possible to together use the international Internet gateways order to reduce costs. However, it is a study. For inbound Internet connections, is it possible to have a neutral Internet exchange and set up a joint-company to operate this while the government oversees and protects people, not violates their basic rights?

Well would not dropping the per mbit tax on provisioned external bandwidth be going about reducing cost and provide incentive to tech companies to enhance their services.

[mrrizzla]

Article 44 + single internet gateway = me feeling uneasy.

If they try and push this through I think a lot of people will of had enough of the junta, even people that were indifferent towards them and even some supporters.

[phycokiller]

Article 44 + single internet gateway = me feeling uneasy.

If they try and push this through I think a lot of people will of had enough of the junta, even people that were indifferent towards them and even some supporters.

maybe they want people to feel uneasy