Thailand vs websites ‘chilling’—press group INQUIRER.net
November 08, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—A Thai minister has threatened legal action against websites and their respective Internet service providers where posts discussing King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health allegedly caused the drop in the Thai bourse last month.
The Thai government’s reaction to the postings, particularly when it invoked the Computer Crimes Act and national security over what was an initial securities issue, is “growing out of proportion…sending a chilling message to the online community and Thais in general,” the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (Seapa) said in a statement.
The earlier statements of Thai Information and Communication Technology Minister Ranongrak Suwanchawee against alleged “rumor mongers…suggest a dangerously broadening scope of government interest that would tend to intimidate free expression online.”
Seapa said threats to crack down on ISPs hosting allegedly "subversive" websites “at the very least signal an irresponsible wielding of the Computer Crimes law.”
”We in Seapa call on the MICT and other authorities to rethink their position on this issue, refrain from abusing the broad provisions of the Computer Crimes Act and desist from threatening citizens' freedom of expression,” it said.
On November 4, the online version of a mass local daily, “Thai Rath,” quoted the minister when she branded at least two websites, Prachatai.com and "Fa Diew Kan" (Under the Same Sky), as “subversive.”
“The ICT minister’s statement itself is a concern because MICT has no authority to close down any website or take actions against ISPs,” said Chavarong Limpattamapanee, vice president of the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) and a SEAPA board member.
The MICT has claimed to have shut down over 2,000 websites deemed as threatening national security early this year. The Internet community has widely criticized this move as an abuse of the 2007 Computer Crimes Act, which is primarily designed to fight pornography and computer system sabotage but with broadly-defined provisions and harsh penalties.
