NLA insists there is no turning back on computer crime bill despite protests - Single Gateway ‘Still Necessary,’ Deputy PM Prawit says

[webfact]

NLA insists there is no turning back on computer crime bill despite protests

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The National Legislative Assembly will not back down on its push for the passage of the new computer crime law despite increasing protests by netizens fearing that the law will usher in the dreaded “Single Gateway”.

 

Pol Gen Chatchaval Suksomchit, chair of the subcommittee scrutinizing computer crime bill, announced Wednesday that the bill had come a long way to the point of no turning back.

 

He said that the bill would be postponed for final reading’s deliberation on December 16 instead of December 15 as the NLA would be too loaded with bills on that day.

 

He insisted that the bill was amended and improved better than the old version.

 

Meanwhile, it was reported that about 160,000 netizens signed up in one single day in the change.org website to protest against the computer crime bill.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/nla-insists-no-turning-back-computer-crime-bill-despite-protests/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-12-15

[webfact]

Single Gateway ‘Still Necessary,’ Deputy PM Prawit Says

By Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter -

 

Opponents of Thailand’s single gateway project have adopted a personification of the project called Nong Kalaland by artist Wisaruth Wisidh.

 

BANGKOK — Confirming the fears of digital rights activists who said a plan to bring the internet  under direct government control never went away, a member of the junta said Wednesday that a single internet gateway was still necessary.

 

Citing Redshirt internet radio channels operating from Laos as an example, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the single point of control for all internet traffic, a project widely known as single gateway, remains necessary for the sake of national security.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2016/12/14/single-gateway-still-necessary-deputy-pm-prawit-says/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2016-12-15

[Somtamnication]

Well, renew you know what that cannot be discussed. 

[canuckamuck]

Inconvenience all the people and disrupt the economy all for the sake of this ridiculous red shirt obsession. Hasn't Thailand paid enough for this feud?

[webfact]

Rejigged computer crime law triggers fears of Big Brother politics
By Attayuth Bootsripoom 
The Nation

 

BANGKOK: -- Today sees the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) deliberate the bill to amend the Computer Crime Act of 2007.

 

The amendment has triggered concern that rights and liberties will be further restricted at a time when the country is under a military-led government. Critics fear that authorities will take advantage of the revised law to control the flow of news and information. They also worry that the cybercrime law may be used against political opponents of the government, restricting their freedom of expression.

 

The amendments will make it easier for authorities to block access to websites with content they deem threatening to national security, public order or moral standards. New bodies called Computer Data Filtering Committees will be given the power to petition courts to prevent dissemination of such material.

 

Article 4 of the amended law prohibits sending computer data or electronic mail to others in a manner that causes disturbance to them or their computer system, without allowing the recipients to opt out. Offenders will be subject to a fine of up to Bt100,000.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30302108

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-12-15

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Thailand will lose a lot of foreign investment if they go ahead with this.  

[digibum]

Uhm, given Thailand's reputation, why would a foreign business want to send email or other sensitive information via Thailand?  I can see a whole lot of people in charge of that gateway suddenly deciding to launch businesses.  

 

 

[honoluludave]

This should not come as any surprise. It is something that those in charge wanted. And they were going to get it no matter what

[yellowboat]

Sadly the junta has focused all their attention on policing the population, not benefiting it.  It comes across as terribly obsessive.   They have all the guns and yet they are so afraid of the written word.  They make Thailand look less inviting everyday. 

[klauskunkel]

myopic squinters

[robblok]

Single gateway is a stupid plan that should be scrapped, hope they are not that stupid. Anyway the junta does not have that long anymore and we all know how long it takes to implement something like this. 

 

Then again the next government even if PTP might just implement it too because whoever is in power always loves to use these kind of things to punish opponents.

Edited December 15, 2016 by robblok

[Caveat Emptor]

1 hour ago, honoluludave said:

This should not come as any surprise. It is something that those in charge wanted. And they were going to get it no matter what

There's a lot likely to happen involving issues and personalities that makes control necessary for censorship purposes.

The local media may be under control more or less but what of those nasty foreigners such as the BBC who broadcast all the things the junta don't want Thais to hear or read ?

[baboon]

2 hours ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

Thailand will lose a lot of foreign investment if they go ahead with this.  

They don't care. It won't affect their bottom line and besides, people have short memories and they will be banking on the fuss to die down as the country lurches into the next crisis.

 

They would rather be the Lords and masters of a squalid little tyranny than also rans in a prosperous nation where they would have to share.

[12DrinkMore]

3 minutes ago, baboon said:

They don't care. It won't affect their bottom line and besides, people have short memories and they will be banking on the fuss to die down as the country lurches into the next crisis.

 

They would rather be the Lords and masters of a squalid little tyranny than also rans in a prosperous nation where they would have to share.

 

Indeed, we are also seeing that happen in Europe and the UK. 

[davehowden]

Damned BBC again, disseminating news and all that!

[ldiablo72]

The proverb 'The pen is mightier than the sword' apparently doesn't apply to the people of Thailand, who seem to be perfectly content with allowing their counry to go down the path of authoritarian rule.

[baboon]

7 minutes ago, 12DrinkMore said:

 

Indeed, we are also seeing that happen in Europe and the UK. 

However the voters have other ideas.

[bobmac10]

10 minutes ago, ldiablo72 said:

The proverb 'The pen is mightier than the sword' apparently doesn't apply to the people of Thailand, who seem to be perfectly content with allowing their counry to go down the path of authoritarian rule.

Perfectly content?

How did you come to that conclusion?

Any form of criticism or protest is illegal.

LM laws can be used with impunity.

An unelected military junta is running the show.

Hardly a benign environment for the masses to protest about these laws being introduced.

 

[worgeordie]

Looks like we will be going back to dial up speeds, if a one gateway

comes into operation,with the Government trying to check everything

that passes through,

regards worgeordie

[BSJ]

It's silly to have a single gateway......they do realise it's the 21st Century......don't they???    

[baboon]

7 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Looks like we will be going back to dial up speeds, if a one gateway

comes into operation,with the Government trying to check everything

that passes through,

regards worgeordie

Yeah, well. Those of us who spend much time on here are already well used to that...

[jabis]

4 minutes ago, BSJ said:

It's silly to have a single gateway......they do realise it's the 21st Century......don't they???    

[mtls2005]

NLA insists there is no turning back on computer crime bill despite protests

 

Heaven forbid the "National Legislative Assembly" (Amart) listen to the people (Phrai). 

 

Their efforts to get all controls ("reforms") in place before pretending to turn over the Kingdom via "elections", "organic laws" and "20-year plans" may come back to haunt them.

[ChrisY1]

10 minutes ago, BSJ said:

It's silly to have a single gateway......they do realise it's the 21st Century......don't they???    

No...they still believe that Thailand is the centre of the universe....and all the bad people in the world, want to send bad news....

[greenchair]

3 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

Inconvenience all the people and disrupt the economy all for the sake of this ridiculous red shirt obsession. Hasn't Thailand paid enough for this feud?

 

This is nothing to do with red shirts or yellow shirts, they both were just a means to a pre determined end. 

[Caveat Emptor]

38 minutes ago, BSJ said:

It's silly to have a single gateway......they do realise it's the 21st Century......don't they???    

Possibly taking a leaf out of the Kymer Rouge's handbook and re-setting the year to one of their choice such as Zero !

[Oxx]

Of course, there was a single gateway pre-1997 run by CAT before the IMF ordered Thailand to liberalise its telecommunications rules.

 

What I do wonder is whether they can be stupid enough really to mean "single gateway", in other words a single point of potential failure.  It would make a lot more sense to have redundancy by providing multiple gateways which provided the same censorship.  Part of the problem (from the junta's point of view) is that censorship is being provided by too many parties:  ISPs, Cyber Security Operation Center, MICT, CAT, the police and others.

[Enoon]

1 hour ago, ldiablo72 said:

The proverb 'The pen is mightier than the sword' apparently doesn't apply to the people of Thailand, who seem to be perfectly content with allowing their counry to go down the path of authoritarian rule.

 

It will come like a lightning bolt out of a clear blue sky.

 

To mis-quote Gil Scott Heron:

 

"The revolution will not be advertised"

[greenchair]

I don't why they are wasting time debating the bill. 

He said it will be. 

And so it will be. 

 

[Beats56]

How could a single gateway handle all the traffic with things like netflix, youtube, Skype, sports and other streaming online services. I don't think it could. The internet will chock to a crawl.