Working alongside China

I have noticed that the Internet filter has been turned on after several months of it being turned off. This time round it does not use the green screen to indicate that the site has been censored, it just comes back with a page not found error.

Opinion from the Bangkok Post

The government policy on internet censorship needs an immediate and sweeping rethink and change. This assumes it has a policy at all, given the current state of efforts to filter and block websites. The current effort to ''filter'' the internet, to use the word of the official censor, does little but add to the foreign perception that Thailand is under strong and constant control of a military government. The zeal of the official censor should alarm everyone whose aim is to establish a government that is accountable for its actions. Until the Sept 19 military coup, internet censors built power and ability. The Thaksin Shinawatra government occasionally tried to turn censorship into virtue by claiming it was all done on behalf of children. This is the familiar claim of all censors of course _ that they selflessly protect victims. But predictably, internet censorship under Thaksin immediately turned from an anti-pornography crusade into a political act.

Today, pornography is more freely accessible on the Thailand internet than ever. Censorship, meanwhile, has expanded into a secret bureaucracy which operates out of unknown offices. Censors provide neither explanation, warning nor appeal. They aim more and more at websites which are neither obscene nor a threat to children.

It was disturbing that military authorities officially appointed the modern Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology as national censor. The zeal and enthusiasm the new ICT minister and senior officials have shown is even more worrying. The ICT ministry was formed to be a leader in encouraging people to use and to develop technology wisely. The sight of such a ministry searching out nasty websites is troubling. That the ICT ministry is working, often alongside China, to develop better technology to block the internet is a setback for a future with information technology.

As official censor, Minister Sitthichai Pokai-udom has closed hundreds of discussion forums including the internationally famous Midnight University. The ministry has intimidated internet providers from carrying national debate or allowing political websites. The minister has made no statement to the public to defend, explain or justify his avid use of the firewall of censorship. Meanwhile, internet news sites now show Thailand as just slightly better than Burma or China at allowing net access by citizens, and far below the openness of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Before the Police Bureau on High Tech Crime stopped public reports earlier this month, it bragged it had blacklisted 34,437 websites. Of these ''illicit websites'' filtered since 2002, the police themselves said just 60% were pornographic. Nearly 4,000 were ordered closed by police because they allegedly violated national security. This, of course, is a well-known accusation and dodge by Thai censors. It is a carryover catchall, used to shutter newspapers and imprison innocent people decades before the internet came into existence.

The military regime says that its goal is to guide Thailand to a proper democratic system in less than a year. The unique and most admirable quality of democracy is accountability. So here is a suggestion for the government: Make internet censorship accountable. For starters, Sitthichai should explain and justify the actions of his ministry in closing off network access, debate, scientific exchange and discussion among citizens. For example, does a political chat session online equal a gathering of five people in the real world? Is it necessary to ban such sessions, and to close websites that encourage them?

The censors have failed miserably to halt access to online pornography, violence or gambling. Citizens should ask, then, what is the purpose of internet censorship? And the government should answer whether a free society can allow authorities to stifle a sincere exchange of views on the pretext of protecting children. Citizens should debate if there must be any limits on the internet; dozens of countries do well without them. If so, they must be decided openly and by everyone.

Update: 19Sep.org has been blocked by the Thai authorities most likely as it contains content critical of the Goverenment

Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) present petition to National Human Rights Commissioner

From the Bangkok Post
See Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) (Mixed English/Thai)
Sign the Petition

A group of free speech activists under the banner of Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) has submitted a petition to the National Human Rights Commission demanding an end to Internet censorship in Thailand on the grounds that it is illegal, impossible to manage and that it is used as a smokescreen to silence critics of the administration.

Led by Thammasat University Literature Lecturer C.J. Hinke, Campaign for Popular Media Reform Secretary-General Supinya Klangnarong and Kasetsart Computer Engineering Lecturer Jittat Fakcharoenphol, the group delivered a petition to National Human Rights Commissioner Charan Dithapichai, who promised to fast-track the petition.

At the very least, the group wants the ICT Ministry to carry out censorship with transparency and name the sites which are blocked. They claim that around 11% of the pornographic blocked sites are not in fact pornographic in nature but instead carry criticism of either the Thaksin Government, the handling of the unrest in the South or, more recently, criticism of the 19 September military coup.

Many of these sites include established and reputable names such as certain pages from the BBC, CNN, Yahoo News, the Seattle Post Intelligencer, Amazon and Yale University, the group claims.

In the press conference, Supinya said that Internet media should be set free to help restore democracy, yet after September 19th, we have taken many steps back. It was bad under Thaksin, but it is even worse now.

Following the military coup, she claims many intellectuals have escaped to the Internet, yet many popular forums such as the Midnight University and Prachathai have been shut down recently.

Jittat said that society at large needs to come to an informed decision on whether the people of Thailand want freedom of speech or whether they want the ability to hold everyone responsible for their words. It is a choice that we, society as a whole, have to make. Control of these web sites is at a cost. We need data to make an informed decision as to whether this cost is worth paying,

Hinke claimed that in October, the ICT Ministry paid two million baht to commission the law department of Sukhothai Thammatirat Open University to find a law that would give them an excuse to continue censoring web sites.

After he had accepted the petition, Commissioner Charan said that he understood the concerns of the group and that he would fast-track the petition to the Commission which will soon announce whether they consider Internet censorship a breach of human rights or not.

The commission will also invite the Royal Thai Police and the ICT Ministry to present their side of the story.

Alarm at proposed legislation on computer related crime

From SEAPA

Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is alarmed that Thailand's interim, military-installed government plans to push through a draft legislation on computer-related crimes which contain provisions that may curtail freedom of expression on the Internet.

On 15 November 2006, the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) approved in principle a bill allowing prosecution of perpetrators of computer-based offences, including data theft and dissemination of pornography.

SEAPA is concerned that the legislation will be pushed through without any objection and thorough scrutiny, given that the current legislative body is operating under martial law.

In addition, local netizens, including online news publications and academic websites, believe that the government is rushing the law in response to the growing number of websites that are critical of the National Security Council, the junta that installed the present government..

At his first meeting with the press on 14 November, newly appointed MICT Minister Sitthichai Pokhai-udom said he believed in censorship. Even the most avid freedom of speech advocate would change his mind if he sees doctored pictures of his daughter's head on a naked body, posted on the Internet.

The bill has been pending from Thaksin's government. While the intent is to tackle hacking and pornography, it also provides legal safeguards for national security, public order and individual reputation which, without given clear definition, could be abused, especially to stop government critics and free speech on the Internet.

For example, article 13 of the draft bill states that those who post content deemed to be a threat to national security or considered an offence under national security law, damage reputation of third party, could face up to five years of imprisonment and/or a fine up to BHT100,000 (approx. US$2,740). Forwarding a pornographic e-mail can land a person in prison for up to three years and a fine of up to baht 10,000 (approx. US$274).

Members of the Thai Webmaster Association, a club of cyber self-regulators, have expressed concern that the bill gives cyber police the authority to seize computers or servers "suspected" of being used to commit crimes. Shutting down servers is particularly worrisome as it would create a ripple effect on hundreds of websites. The webmasters are also wary of the vagueness in some terms, which means the bill will cast a wide net.

Saying that I haven't actually seen the nasty green screen of censorship for quite a while now.

From Thai Visa

A new group advocating freedom on the Internet filed a petition with the Thai Human Rights Commission asking for an end to online censorship.

The petition was signed by 30 people, including many academics, and Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) which said 70 international organisations have expressed their support.

CJ Hinke, the originator of the petition, said: If people don't have all the information, they are not fully informed and without a fully informed public, you can't expect people to make the right decisions.

FACT, which was formed earlier this month, is the first organisation of its kind in Thailand seeking to end the censorship of more than 35,000 websites in the country.

The group said the government blocks 2,500 web pages, including some from the BBC, CNN, Yahoo News and articles from Yale University Press about Thailand's King Bhumibhol Adulyadej. When users in Thailand try to access the pages, they receive a green screen saying the site was blocked.

At least 11% of the websites blocked contained criticism of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra or his Thai Rak Thai party, the government's handling of the violence in southern Thailand, and the September 19 coup that overthrew Thaksin, the group said.

Hinke said that the government has insisted the sites needed to be blocked "to preserve Thai social harmony". He said if the government refuses to comply with the request, he will sue the ministry. He said the group is also planning to put another petition online and to circulate software that would allow Internet users to access blocked sites.

From the International Herald Tribune

Thailand's new military-appointed government is threatening to shut down an operatic version of Asia's classic Ramayana epic, ostensibly over fears one of its scenes may bring bad luck, the opera's composer said.

The opera, Ayodhya, premiered Thursday night and is scheduled for a repeat performance on Saturday, albeit with the 'offensive' scene toned down after pressure from Culture Ministry officials.

The composer, Somtow Sucharitkul, said that ministry officials approached him a few days before the show's opening to complain about a scene involving the on-stage death of a key character, the demon-king, Thotsakan.

The officials, whom Somtow did not identify, said that portraying Thotsakan's death on stage was taboo in Thai culture and would be a "bad omen".

Somtow said the officials told him that: If anything happened to anyone in power in Thailand, it would be blamed on this production."

The idea that depicting death will bring misfortune is usually applied to traditional Thai masked dramas known as "khon," according to theater scholars. It is not known to exist in other Asian countries.

Somtow and the opera's stage director, Hans Nieuwenhuis of the Netherlands Opera Studio, agreed to modify the scene so that the audience would not actually see the character die, though "not a note or word of the libretto was changed," Somtow said.

The following day, however, the ministry sent over a new contract including a broad clause saying that if anything in the opera offended the morals of Thailand, they had the right to close down the opera immediately, said Somtow, who signed it

From the Bangkok Post

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday approved in principle a bill which will allow the state to punish people responsible for computer-based crimes including data theft and the dissemination of pornographic materials. A vetting committee is set to scrutinise the bill in seven days.

The bill, accepted by the NLA in a 170 to 4 vote, is sponsored by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry. It seeks imprisonment and fines for those found guilty of crimes of theft and destruction of data, dissemination of falsified data, and of pornographic materials. For example, someone forwarding a pornographic email could be sentenced to up to three years in jail and fined up to 10,000 baht if found guilty under the new law.

The bill will govern the use of not only computer-based communications but also devices capable of similar functions including mobile phones.

However, assembly members raised concerns that the legislation should also protect individuals' rights and curb the authority of officials who regulate communications.

Assemblyman Chalongphob Sussangkarn said the legislation should punish only those who intentionally commit an offence. The stipulated 30-day seizure of computers belonging to offenders, and confiscation of relevant equipment and data should also not be based on officials' judgement only, he said.

Another NLA member, Viriya Namsiripongpan, suggested officials be forced to seek a court warrant before making any seizures to prevent unfair treatment.

Assemblyman Borwornsak Uwanno suggested the bill be widened to cover ''improper'' content uploaded to overseas servers and the spread of internet messages originating from overseas-registered domains which offend the monarchial institution.

Another member, Kanchana Silpa-archa, said measures should be put in place to control internet cafes where users need not identify themselves.

From the Bangkok Post

Government bans on a number of websites that posted criticisms of the Sept 19 coup d'etat violate the basic right of freedom of expression and should be lifted, website operators said yesterday. Somkiat Tangmano, webmaster of the Midnight University website, said the censorship or ban on websites should not be based on the judgements of just a few people.

The university's website was recently closed by an order issued by the Information and Communications Technology Ministry (ICT) under martial law, said Somkiat.

The ICT imposed the ban as it was told by the junta to ban political webboards found to contain provocative messages.

Somkiat and webmasters of other websites which were closed in the aftermath of the coup yesterday criticised the ban during a seminar on the freedom of electronic media organised by the National Human Rights Commission.

Sombat Bunngarm-anong, webmaster of www.19.sep.net, praised online media sources for performing their tasks well during the coup d'etat.

Jiranut Premchaiporn, webmaster of www.prachathai.com, said freedom of expression was a fundamental right of the people and that her website was launched as an alternative for people to receive information during the rule of the Thaksin government.

A representative from True Internet Co said the National Telecommunications Commission should regulate websites. The ICT has shut down several websites but has failed to sufficiently justify any of the closures, she said.

From The Nation

A total of 54 radio stations in two northeastern provinces have stopped broadcasting temporarily, following an order by the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM).

Provincial authorities instructed 53 stations in Roi Et and one in Amnat Charoen to comply with the coup leaders' order.

An official in Roi Et said another 20 unregistered stations in the province had decided to stop broadcasting at the request of a local military office.

Another 100 stations in Khon Kaen are still operating. Chanadda Harris, head of the Khon Kaen Public Relations Office, said the stations were still broadcasting until further notice or a request to stop was made by the Second Army Region, which oversees units in the entire Northeast.

She added that her office was drawing up interim broadcast regulations with the CDRM, which were expected to take effect soon.

From The Times

Thailand's self-appointed military rulers arrested their opponents, banned political meetings and prohibited television stations from broadcasting viewer opinion yesterday, as the newly formed junta consolidated the success of Tuesday’s lightning coup.

Despite its insistence that it would hand over power to a civilian prime minister within a fortnight, the “Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy” is permitting no expressions of opposition to its authority. By yesterday all media organisations that formerly supported the democratically elected Government of Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed Prime Minister, had been suppressed or converted to the junta’s cause.

Broadcasts on foreign satellite television were jammed repeatedly whenever Thaksin appeared in news reports. US diplomats in Bangkok interviewed staff of the BBC and CNN yesterday in preparation for a formal complaint about the interference.

General Sondhi summoned newspaper editors and television managers to spell out the new conditions under which they can operate — reporting of “public opinion” is discouraged, including live interviews, phone ins and text messages from viewers that Thai television stations display in the form of a “ticker” at the bottom of screens.

The council asks for co-operation from all types of media and media operators, as well as reporters, to report their stories accurately and constructively in order swiftly to restore normality to the country, an official announcement said.

At least eight supporters of Thaksin were in detention under martial law ordinances that allow detainees to be held for a week without charge. They include the manager of a pro-Thaksin national television station, an outspoken columnist and the former Deputy Prime Minister, Chitchai Wannasathit, who was described as having accepted an invitation to remain indefinitely inside army headquarters in Bangkok.

The two latest detainees were the Cabinet ministers Newin Chidchob and Yongyuth Tiyapairat, who obeyed a summons to present themselves to the army at noon yesterday, having gone into hiding after the coup 36 hours earlier.

Based on an article from the Bangkok Post

Webmasters of well-known sites, including Pantip.com, Prachatai.com and Midnight University (midnightuniv.org) attended a forum recently sponsored by Thammasat University's faculty of journalism to discuss the impact of certain opinions that have appeared on their webboards.

The troublesome comments are particularly those critical of the monarchy or the government, which has always drawn extreme criticism and even caused websites to be temporarily taken down.

Chuwat Rerksirisuk, editor of Prachatai, said his site faced problems during the political crisis. There were critical opinions on the webboard in response to our articles. That disheartened our news sources, including the academics we interviewed for the articles. Some started to complain that it was not worth it to give interviews only to face harsh criticism on the webboard. That made our job more difficult.

Although we always value the public space and the freedom of speech on the Internet, [...BUT...] we can't help thinking that probably we need to find a method of managing the webboards.

Somkiart Tangnamo, who supervises Midnight University, said the site was temporarily shut down by its host last month after there was a posting which placed the web manager at risk of lese-majeste: A legal expert has often warned me to be watchful for this kind of opinion. I haven't ignored his advice, but did not have enough time to look through all the comments posted on the webboard.

The forum, however, was left with one unanswered question: should webboards be put under more control?

While agreeing censorship of some posts, such as those with obscenities or mudslinging, is necessary, Somkiart insisted liberal space on the Internet should be preserved: Webboards are basically a learning space where we can discuss any issue, and open our minds to topics we will never agree upon," he said. "It's a public space which is rare in today's democratic society. It can lead to a sustainable and healthy society for everyone.

Wanchat Padungrat, founder of Pantip, said he tried to regulate the web members rather than the content of the site: Pantip has a lot of visitors and our webboards involve a wide range of issues. We can't be experts in all of them. So what we did is regulate our visitors, having them register with ID numbers and date of issuance which can be rechecked. This is to make sure a person uses only one pseudonym on our board, and they need to take responsibility for what they write.

Various other methods are used to screen rude language, narrow-minded attitudes or inaccurate information, he said. However, he noted, having registered members can pave the way for further management of the web.

From The Nation

US musician Tom Dundee (centre)... Popular with Thai girls?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no intention of allowing a condom brand to go on sale with a trade name that carries a sexual connotation, secretary-general Dr Pakdee Pothisiri said yesterday.

He was speaking just one day after the Culture Ministry publicly commented that the request for the name "Tom Dundee" was inappropriate and offensive to Thai culture.

"Tom Dundee" is singer Puntiwa Pumiprathet's stage name. He had hoped to manufacture and distribute the condoms, with some of the proceeds going to Wat Phra Baht Nam Phu. The temple is also known as the Aids Temple because it has cared for patients living with HIV.

However, "dundee" also translates as "good thrusting" in Thai.

From the Bangkok Post

The top official in the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology claimed that Thailand is among the top 5 nations of the entire world in pornographic websites.

Maneerat Paliphat, permanent secretary at the ministry, did not name the other four, or hint at how she knew about the "honour".

But she did say that the webmasters of the porn sites could not be penalised as they have registered the sites overseas.

Maneerat said the flourishing pornography and cyber-criminals associated with Thailand present a social problem. She said, Thailand needs more laws and regulations to prevent such social problems.

The ICT Ministry has redirected thousands of websites to its so-called "cyber inspector," the green screen of mean which informs Internet users they have reached a blocked site.

In addition to supposedly obscene sites, the ministry has attempted to block sites which can affect national security, such as those relating to the three southernmost provinces of Thailand. In practice, the censorship is leaky.

Howard Beal speech from the film Network: So turn off your television sets. Turn them off now! Turn them off right now! Turn them off and leave them off. Turn them off right in the middle of this sentence I'm speaking to you now. Turn them off!

From the Bangkok Post

The Violent and ''junk'' TV programmes as well as popular reality shows could contribute to mental derangement and physical ailments in young people, a specialist said recently.

Many children and their parents were unaware of the insidious threat, although a credible link could be established between watching the wrong kind of TV programmes and poorer health, said Suriyadev Tripatee, of the Dek Thai Mai Kinwan (Thai Children, Don't Eat Sweets) Network.

The frequent broadcast of disturbing scenes or news could inhibit alimentary function and blood circulation in youngsters who regularly watch TV over a long period of time, he said.

Dr Suriyadev said viewers could experience hypertension and an irregular heartbeat.

In the process, not enough blood was distributed to organs such as the stomach and the alimentary system, ''deactivating'' a person's appetite. At the same time, digestive fluid will be produced in the stomach which could cause ulcers.

He said many young viewers developed constipation, insomnia and an array of other ailments.

In children who play computer games, over-excitement could lead to convulsive attacks. Watching too much TV could cause heart conditions and memory loss and eventually derangement of the mind.

He is also worried that reality shows, in which contestants sometimes use tricks to win, could instil wrong social values in children.

Children may think getting what they want in whatever way they can is acceptable, and take for granted aggressive and sexually provocative conduct shown on TV.

News stories about violent behaviour should not be reinforced with pictures, he said.

From the Bangkok Post

The Midnight University web board, a popular online academic forum, has been banned for containing messages that insult the monarchy. The six-year-old website, founded by prominent scholars from Chiang Mai University was closed down by the free website provider Thaimisc.com. This was said to be on the orders of the Information and Communications Technology Ministry and the police.

'Thaimisc had to shut this web board because it contains inappropriate messages that are offensive to the monarchy,' said a message posted on the Midnight University's website.

The board was popular with intellectuals and university students in Thailand and abroad, who exchange opinions on social and political issues, including the political situation and the role of the monarchy in Thai politics.

Chiang Mai university lecturer Somkiat Tangnamo, webmaster of the www.midnightuniv.org site, said closing down the web board was a serious violation of freedom of expression.

The website administrators had no intention of offending the monarchy, but supported ''constructive discussion'' on the role of the monarchy, said Somkiat. He said a group of people had intentionally flooded the web board with rude words insulting the monarchy in a bid to ''destroy'' the board, because they were unhappy with the opinions critical of the government that appear there.

Based on an article from Business Day

The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) has moved further to control a growing blame opportunity, ie pornography.

Acting ICT Minister Suchai Charoenratanakul said that information technology is now part of daily life and the internet and online games are new and interesting and highly unrestrained.

The internet is a massive source of information, but it also exposes children to improper contents which Suchai said might create social problems.

Aware of the growing blame opportunity in Thailand as in every country, MICT has developed an “IT housekeeper program” that filters illegal and supposedly improper websites and control online gaming.

MICT coordinates with 10 agencies to control the cyber threat and formed an inspection team to monitor the websites. The Royal Thai Police, part of the team, monitor pornographic websites. The Ministry of Culture monitors the websites that threaten to “violate norms and cultures”. If the agencies report on illegal websites, the ICT ministry asks the internet service provider (ISP) to block the websites.
 
The outcome of the project is satisfactory, MICT said in a statement. However internet users are both adults and children. Pornographic websites that do not show private parts are allowed to internet users.

The software which MICT calls a Housekeeper Program controls children’s access to porn websites and limit online gaming. The software is distributed for free and available online: www.icthousekeeper.com. MICT unveiled the Housekeeper software on Wednesday and distributed 8,000 CDs. The ministry will organise seminars in schools to provide information on internet threats and demonstrate how to use the software.

The housekeeper program is linked to the ministry’s database centre and keeps itself updated as it is similar to any antivirus program. Does it slow the speed of the internet, once installed on computer? Technically it does. It depends on the specifications of CPU: the Pentium 4 Processor with 256 MB memory will be a fraction of a second slower.

Suchai said Thailand is among a few countries in the region that provides state-of-the-art information technology for its citizens. There is a downside to technology. Concerned over the free flow of improper contents on the Net, the ministry has set up a committee to track illegal and improper websites. Thailand is a free country, of course...BUT... illegal websites won’t be allowed in, Suchai said.

From The Nation

The Culture minister has invited 5,000 people from all walks of society to join a voluntary committee to rate television programmes on the Internet.

The ministry yesterday launched the Media Evaluation (ME) System Project, following a Cabinet resolution last October requiring it to develop, on a budget of Bt15 million, a ratings method for the media, including television, radio, films, the Internet and computer games.

Culture Ministry secretary-general Khunying Dhipavadee Meksawan said that the ministry had identified initial ways of assessing media. Now it wants 5,000 people to register at www.me.or.th to join the committee.

We want to finish rating TV programmes by September, she said: there will be a six-plus-one system of gauges. Programmes will be judged on how they set people thinking, whether they widen academic knowledge, teach morality, detail skills for living, encourage social awareness with an emphasis on cultural differences, and whether they promote good family values. The "final" gauge will rate sexual, linguistic and violence-related content.

John Rattanaveroj, who leads the effort to create the online ratings system, said his team had used Internet technology to make it possible for people to join the project. Those registering would be checked to ensure they had not been hired by any business group, he said. After the checks, approved members would receive passwords to log in to the evaluation system.

Video clips of several television programmes, plays, cartoons and game shows will be provided, with members free to pick any shows for rating. The system will calculate the results and detail audience preferences, John said.

Programmes with a Level 3 rating should be aired after 10pm, so people less than 18-years-old are not exposed to them, John said. This is the first time Thailand has given itself a quality-rating system for television programmes, said John.

Surely everybody, including royals, should be allowed to enjoy a short time in Thailand without plastering it all over the Internet.

From The Nation

Internet police are calling for a halt to distribution of an image of Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan flanked by a provocatively dressed woman among email users or on websites throughout the Kingdom.

Police Colonel Yannaphol Yangyuen said the authorities would determine who first released the image within the next few days.

The officer said it had not been determined whether the image had been doctored, but he personally thought it was probably authentic.

The image was first seen when posted on popular community website www.pantip.com under a thread entitled "Crown Prince Jigme's girlfriend, from the Bhutan paparazzi" at about 5pm last Friday.

He said the website had since removed the image and insisted it had not been posted on any other threads.

Yannaphol, head of the Information Technology Division under the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), said the individual would face criminal charges of libel if the image was found to have been doctored: Please stop distributing the image, or you risk facing criminal charges. Actions are being taken without any formal requests that might possibly be made by Bhutan

From BarLadies

The Thai authorities have added www.barladies.com to their ever expanding list of websites being blocked. Those using the ISP, True, were first to notice the blocking but no doubt the other ISPs will follow suit.

Even though Thailand claims to censor only such obvious sites as porn and gambling it is very worrying when they start on discussion forums.

Also will probably cause more people to seek out proxy services than it will end up blocking. On the other hand, the expats oriented website, Thai Visa, very quickly updated their policies to block the discussion of proxy services.

From the Bangkok Post

The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) yesterday announced a plan to introduce a rating system for online computer games to help parents screen the products to suit their children.

ICT deputy permanent secretary Maneerat Phalipat said the ministry had asked Thammasat University's Research and Consultancy Institute to study and develop a game rating model for Thailand.

The model was introduced at a workshop yesterday which was participated in by representatives from both the government and private sectors, including game producers and distributors, parents and teenagers.

The proposed model has two kinds of labels. The first is an age rating, which would categorise games for five age groups - all ages, 3+ years, 6+ years, 12+ years, and 18 years and over.

There is also a ''Rating pending'' for games that are in the process of being rated.

The other kind of label is a content description which consists of seven warning signs - Bad Language, Drugs, Gambling, Fear, Love, Sexual, and Violence.

For Thailand the study has added two more special signs, Contrary to Thai Culture and Endless Game for those that could cause addiction among players.

Games labelled Contrary to Thai Culture will be banned, while the Endless Game label would remind parents to limit their children's playing hours.

The ministry also plans to adopt marketing strategies to encourage game distributors and importers to voluntarily apply for ratings. They said the system is aimed at raising public awareness of the threats of online games, while calling for operators to show responsibility for consumers.

Maneerat said the proposed model would be reviewed before being officially submitted to the ministry and later to the cabinet. She expected the system to be implemented by the end of the year.

From Monster & Critics

Hollywood filmmakers say Thailand's censorship of smoking and drinking in movies is driving viewers to buy pirated versions.

Tienchai Pinvises, executive director of the Motion Picture Association of Thailand, voiced the view of leading U.S. filmmakers that it was fine for the government to ban pictures of smoking and drinking in mass media such as free television on moral grounds, but the ban should not apply to movies on discs as they are a private form of entertainment and potential buyers of such products are adults.

Blurred pictures irritate viewers so they opt to buy pirated, uncensored DVDs or VCDs for entertainment, he said, referring to the government's practice of pixellating 'improper' scenes.

MPA members include Columbia Picture Industries Inc, Disney Enterprises Inc, Paramount Picture Corporation, Tri-Star Pictures Inc, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Universal Studios and Warner Bros Entertainment, who raised their concerns to the Commerce Ministry last week.

Tienchai said American filmmakers also complained that pirates had switched to using DVD writer-equipped computers to `burn` VCDs and DVDs since Thailand began enforcing a copyright law to register and control large-scale CD-copying machines last year.

Based on an article from the Bangkok Post

The producer of Mak Te Lok Talueng (Lucky Loser), a comedy movie that pokes fun at a fictitious Lao football team, has cancelled the opening after complaints from the Vientiane.

We will not release the film on May 18 as scheduled in order to show good faith, said Wisut Pulworaluck, chief executive officer of GMM Tai Hub. We don't want to create any problems that may lead to conflicts between the two countries.

MWisut made his announcement at a press briefing after a meeting yesterday with Lao ambassador Hiem Phommachanh.

Lao officials complained the movie's jokes belittled Lao people and the film, about a Thai coach taking the Lao football team to the World Cup, contained inappropriate scenes. The film shows Lao footballers dyeing their hair and underarms to get a Western look, while the team practised in refrigerated containers to get used to the cold weather.

Wisut said the ambassador made several points that prompted the company to cancel the release.

There was no plan for film edits to make it more palatable.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon has advised Thai film producers to be more considerate and respectful of other nations. He said Thai films have high potential in the international arena but the industry needs to be more sensitive about other peoples' feelings.

It is the second Thai film in less than a month to offend a neighbouring country. Horror flick La-Tha-Pii (Ghost Game) brought protests from Cambodia, which complained it exploited the tragic history of its Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s.

Based on an article from the Bangkok Post

Thailand's film censorship board yesterday approved the full version of the film The Da Vinci Code, after its distributor appealed against the board's decision on Tuesday to order that the final 10 minutes be cut. The board voted six to five to allow the full version of the film to be shown. It is scheduled to open today.

Chaired by Pol Maj-Gen Somwong Lipiphan, deputy commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, and including Protestant and Catholic representatives, the board viewed the movie for the second time after receiving the appeal from its distributor, Columbia Tristar Buena Vista Films (Thailand).

The controversy erupted after the Thailand Protestant Churches Coordinating Committee, representing four nutter groups, asked the Royal Thai Police to ban the film, which is based on Dan Brown's bestselling novel of the same title. Critics say it insults Jesus and erodes the Christian faith.

Following the Christian protest, the board on Tuesday ordered the distributor to cut the final 10 minutes of the film, change some ''inappropriate'' Thai subtitles such as the words ''Jesus, the deceiver'', and display a warning message before and after the film to remind viewers that it is based on a novel.

Columbia Tristar had appealed against the order to cut the film and the order to display a warning message before and after the movie.

Pol Maj-Gen Somwong said the board finally decided to withdraw the order that the film be cut, but stuck by its decision on subtitle changes and displaying a warning message.

Anucha Chaiyadej, deputy director of Catholic Social Communications of Thailand, who was on a special committee considering the film, said the final decision was a compromise for both sides and he had to accept the board's decision.

He said protestants would not stage any more protests, as they had tried to understand the reasons of both the censorship committee and the film distributor.

Rev Dr Seree Lorgunpai, secretary-general of the Thailand Bible Society, said he had done his best in representing the Christians on the board, and had to accept the final resolution.

Christian groups have already prepared 100,000 copies of guidebooks for people watching the film, to be distributed in front of cinemas.

But not to worry, the uncut version has been available for a couple of weeks on copy DVD.

Based on an article from the Bangkok Post

The police censorship committee in charge of movies has agreed to censor the climax of the movie The Da Vinci Code, even though the distributor promised to put a special notice on all copies stating the film was a work of fiction.

Thai censors and a group claiming to represent Thai Christians watched the movie today. After the special showing, police agreed to cut the last 10 minutes of the film.

A spokesman for the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand said that the nutters objected to the part of the film that mentions Jesus having heirs alive today. Under today's agreement, Thais won't see that part of the film in the theatre.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, the Seventh Day Adventists Foundation of Thailand, and the United Christian Church of Baptism of Thailand had joined fellow Asian Christian nutters from India to the Philippines in urging their governments to ban the film, claiming it distorts the Bible.

Only Thailand capitulated.

Without the warning to audiences, the movie should not be shown in Thailand, Manote Cheangsuk, chairman of Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, told a press conference. If (the movie) is not true, it cannot be shown.

Ironically, American filmmakers complained just yesterday that local censorship is a reason why audiences buy pirated VCDs and DVDs. Tienchai Pinvises, executive director of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) of Thailand specifically mentioned blurring out smoking and drinking in TV presentations of movies, but presumably cutting out parts of a movie also would apply.

In the Philippines, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) approved the showing of the controversial film in this predominantly Christian country.

Malaysian Christians disagreed completely with their Thai brethern, and said Malaysians were intelligent enough to figure out it was Hollywood

Based on an article from The Nation

Four major Christian nutter groups yesterday submitted a request to the Thai Police asking that the controversial Hollywood movie The Da Vinci Code be banned from Thailand.

Maj-General Phanomsak Thangthong, chief of the registration division, said the request had been sent to a censorship subcommittee for immediate consideration. The movie from Dan Brown's novel of the same title, is scheduled for screening in Thailand on Thursday.

The movie distorts the Bible and violates the dignity of the Jesus, Professor Wirach Koidul, an official with the Coordination Committee of the Protestant Church of Thailand, said in a statement released by the four groups. Our joint conclusion agrees that the novel and the movie deliberately insult Jesus Christ.The movie depicts Jesus as only a man, and not entitled to the prophecy, as believed by Christians worldwide.

Moreover, in the movie he is married to Mary Magdalene and fathers a son with her, which is completely false, he added.

The statement was made with the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, the Seventh Day Adventists' Foundation of Thailand, and the United Christian Church of Baptism of Thailand. They represent about 1 million Christians in Thailand, they said.

From BarLadies.com

Former senator Rabiabrat Pongpanich has hit out Juraluck "Ying" Kittiyarat for the sexual content and photographs of the actress and her farang boyfriend in her book "Sexual Connotation".

Conservative Rabiabrat never seems to run out of criticism of things that she regards as too modern. In her capacity as president of the Centre for the Promotion of Happy and Loving Families she has expressed her views on a wide range of social issues. Recall her nitpicking about westernised singer Tata Young, and you will get the idea.

But this time around she believes she has a point. Juraluck's book featuring personal accounts of the sexual lives of her friends, a la "Sex and the City" is available at 7-Eleven outlets within reach of any child who may drop by.

Other books on sale in 7-Eleven include Hysteria, Hua Jai Mai Mee Por (Insatiable Heart), Gay Diary, Ruang Lao Sao Sidelines (Call Girls' Stories), Perd Tai Karee (Unmasking a Whore), X-Japan: Bantuek Ruang Rak (X-Japan: Record of Love), and Sakod Roi Chu (Spying on Lovers).

Cultural Watchdog Centre's chief Ladda Thangsupachai hit at the heart of the problem when she tried to ban the sale of Juraluck's book at the convenience-store chain. I don't think the photographs are too explicit, but a book that talks about sexual activities in detail, like how to perform oral sex properly and how to grade the size of men's private parts, should not be sold at 7-Elevens.

Rabiabrat targeted publishers too, saying they should take responsibility for their books' content. A publisher should not allow writers to go overboard, such as posing nude or in a sexually explicit pose.

The publisher of Sexual Connotation has printed a warning on the back cover that the book is not recommended for those under 18.

From the Bangkok Post

Governments in Asia are considered among the world's worst ''enemies'' of internet freedom, as they increasingly censor websites and jail people who express views deemed dangerous online.

In comments marking World Press Freedom Day, today, experts said several countries including China, Vietnam and Nepal are feeling more threatened by cyberspace than ever as internet use booms among their populations.

Of 15 ''enemies of the internet'' named by Paris-based rights group Reporters Without Borders late last year, five were in East or South Asia - China, North Korea, Vietnam, Burma and Nepal. The 10 ''countries to watch'' included Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.

Experts warn that, with less freedom of information, Asian societies risk seeing more corruption and abuse of government power, while public discontent will grow, leading to more social instability. They fear the internet will spread Western ideas of freedom and democracy which will lead to an overthrow of their power, said formerly imprisoned Chinese journalist Gao Yu, who won Unesco's Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom award in 1997.

Employing sophisticated filtering technology, forcing internet cafes to register users and internet service providers to reveal user information, the governments were trying to rein in a medium they realise they must also embrace to spur modernisation and economic growth.

In China, the world's biggest jailer of journalists, the number of cyber dissidents imprisoned has exceeded the number of reporters locked up.

Vietnam, which lacks China's money and technology, has employed internet police to filter out ''subversive'' content and spy on cybercafes.

Burma blocks not only foreign news sites but also web-based email services and forces internet cafes to monitor their computer users.

North Korea only allows a few thousand privileged people to have access to a heavily-censored version of the internet.

Asian countries on the watch list, despite being perceived as more modern and open, also displayed worrying signs of trying to control the internet, the group said.

For example, in Thailand, the government extended its fight against internet pornography to censoring online news sites as part of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's effort to rein in the media. Defamation suits that once targeted newspapers now hit writers who publish online, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance said.

From the Bangkok Post

The Administrative Court yesterday rejected an appeal by the Public Relations Department (PRD) against an interim order allowing the satellite-based ASTV television channel to continue broadcasting anti-Thaksin campaigner Sondhi Limthongkul's weekly talk show.

Sondhi's lawyer Suwat Apaipak said the rejection of the appeal meant ASTV can continue broadcasting Sondhi's shows until the court makes a ruling on the issue in the future.

CAT Telecom blocked the signal on Jan 24 after being told by the Public Relations Department that the broadcasts by ThaiDay Dotcom, a company under Sondhi's Manager Media Group, violated the radio and television broadcasting law because the firm had no broadcasting licence.

On Feb 2 the court accepted a petition from ThaiDay Dotcom, Sondhi and others against the PRD's and CAT Telecom Plc's action in cutting off ThaiDay Dotcom's satellite and internet broadcasts. It issued an interim order that CAT Telecom stop blocking the ASTV signal.

The court ruled that CAT Telecom and the department could not suspend the satellite and internet broadcasting signals of ThaiDay Dotcom because they had failed to file a proper charge and said that they may have violated the right to freedom of expression.

From Thai Visa

Cambodian outrage was growing this week over the new Thai horror flick, Ghost Game, which is set in an abandoned Cambodian jail strongly resembling the infamous Khmer Rouge Toul Sleng torture centre.

Accusing the Thai film makers of disrespect for the victims of Cambodia's genocide, head of the Cambodian Culture Ministry's cinema department, Kong Kendara, said his office would cooperate with the Interior Ministry to confiscate and destroy any copies of the movie in shops in the capital.

Kendara said he had personally denied representatives of the Thai company Tifa Co permission to film the movie at Toul Sleng on June 27, 2005, because in the ministry's opinion, the script outline obviously failed to respect the memories of the victims of the Pol Pot-led Khmer Rouge regime.

Kendara said by telephone: The police and the Culture Ministry will cooperate, and when we find this movie, we will destroy it. I would rank it beside the videos from Iraq,

The set of Ghost Game, directed by Thailand's Sarawut Wichiensarn, reportedly depicts lines of photographs on the walls in a seemingly direct reference to Toul Sleng, as well as piles of skulls and skeletons. A group of 11 young Thais play characters in a TV reality show who must stay in the haunted Cambodian prison and brave angry ghosts to win prize money. The movie was due for release in Thailand on Thursday.

From the Bangkok Post

People under 18 are banned from internet cafes from 10pm until 2pm the following day under a new regulation now being enforced by the Culture Ministry.

Internet cafe operators can still open 24 hours a day, but young people are allowed on the premises only from 2pm to 10pm. The regulation took effect on March 11.

The regulation is part of the ministry's new role in the area of overseeing media content under a cabinet resolution covering media content monitoring, rating and censorship. The new regulation has drawn flak from internet cafe operators, who yesterday lodged a complaint with the Administrative Court.

A group of 50 internet shops asked the court to nullify the regulation, arguing that it allows state authorities to abuse their power and infringe upon media rights.

Chavaphong Naiyanapath, the group's legal adviser, said since the regulation was issued under the 1997 Videotape and Television Act, a computer hard disk is classified as a visual medium like videotape.

So even though ministry officials will monitor the media content, it is the police who will act as law enforcer and have the power to search internet shops and confiscate evidence without getting a search warrant from the court.

Voravit Janchoolphol, internet cafe operator in Samut Prakan, said internet cafe operators had become the scapegoats for the increase in youth problems.

From the Bangkok Post

The Culture Ministry will introduce a television programme rating system to help producers make child-friendly programmes for prime time. Dubbed ''Six Plus One,'' the system will serve as a production guideline and criteria for TV stations to assess programmes to go on air from 4-10 pm, said ministry permanent secretary Dhipavadee Meksawan.

The system would not impose any rules on programme producers, she said: This country has too many 'don't' codes and we will not add another one. Six Plus One will not be the judge to say what is good or bad. It will tell producers what a positive programme should look, sound and feel like so they will have a reference in mind if they want to make a good show.

Six Plus One means improving six factors _ the mind, learning, morality, life skills, cultural diversity and good relationships in family and society _ with the One referring to negative programmes with sexually explicit or violent content.

Before the launch, TV4KIDS, a media research project sponsored by the National Health Promotion Foundation, conducted consumer behaviour research in Bangkok and Chiang Mai early this month. It plans similar tests in the North and South.

The test involved more than 200 child volunteers who helped screen and rate a number of TV shows, including movies, with the use of Six Plus One guidelines. The test was to find ideal prime time shows suitable for under 18s.

The ministry plans to allocate 15 million baht to produce the guideline, which will also be available to schools and networks of parents.

A ministerial code would ask TV stations to allocate the best airtime to programmes that receive good Six Plus One ratings to achieve ''Clean TV'' for children.

From the Bangkok Post

Bangkok senator Kaewsan Atipho has branded the seizure by police of 20,000 copies of a book entitled ''Stop the Thaksin Regime'' to be handed out to rally-goers as violating his right to disseminate information to the public. The book, written by Kaewsan and his twin brother Kwansuang, is critical of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's work.

Dusit police seized the books during delivery yesterday and sent them to the Special Branch Bureau for ''examination.''

Pol Col Pansak Satsana-anand, a printing officer of the bureau, said the book might be deemed illegal for disrupting public peace and order.

The writers, along with Thammasat University law expert Somyos Chuethai, went to Dusit police station yesterday to demand that the books be returned for distribution to rally-goers by the People's Alliance for Democracy. Somyos said seizure of all the books was unreasonable as 10 or even 100 copies should be enough for an examination: 'Police are acting at someone's behest as many copies (of the total of 70,000) have already been distributed in Silom and Sanam Luang since March 13,'' Kaewsan said. As of yesterday, no charges had been pressed against the writers.

The police printing committee will today decide whether the book had violated any laws. The decision to release the books rests with the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

Kaewsan will petition the Administrative Court if the copies are not returned.

From The Nation

Police yesterday returned thousands of copies of a book criticising the prime minister back to the printing house, claiming it was unlawful to distribute the book.

One author of the book, Senator Kaewsan Atibodhi, said the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) was preparing to file complaints with the Administrative Court against the Police Special Branch for malfeasance over its actions.

The senator said no part of the book, entitled Stop The Thaksin Regime, Save Our Country And Democracy was detrimental to national security, and he would have clarified any matters had the police asked him.

Maj-General Chatchawal Suksomchit, deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner, said the police committee on publication investigation found the book was not threatening to the country's peace, order and morality.

However, as no publisher was identified in the book it was unlawful to distribute it in public, police told the printing house. They returned the 20,000 copies of the book to the printing house.

Senator Thongbai Thongpao, a human rights lawyer, said the seizure of the book without issuing any charge could be considered a human rights violation. The book was a lawful opinion expressed openly, and the names of its authors were on the back and could be verified. The police conduct was like censorship and theft, and the damaged party could file a lawsuit, Thongbai said.

Of course the Americans aren't mentioning their own human rights abuse at Guantanamo Bay nor torture by rendition.

From The Nation

Extrajudicial killings, corruption and media intimidation mar Kingdom's image. Thailand's human-rights record has "significant problems" due to extrajudicial killings and restrictions on freedom of expression, says the US government.

In the annual human-rights report by the US State Department, which will be released today, Washington took the Thai government to task for violations, especially in the Malay-speaking South.

For the first time the report mentions the high-profile corruption allegations at the new Suvarnabhumi Airport.

This year's assessment is far more extensive and details cases of extrajudicial killings and lawsuits against the media by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Numerous human-rights violations last year in the South are recorded especially after the imposition of the controversial emergency law in July, which replaced martial law.

The report highlights the death of Satopa Yusof, an imam at a village mosque in Narathiwat, who apparently told relatives on his deathbed that security officials gunned him down.

Another high-profile case involved the disappearance of Phra Supot Suwanjano, an environmental activist in Chiang Mai. The government refused to comment on either incident.

The authorities were criticised for failing to follow up many disappearances, with 35 cases without a progress report documented.

As in the previous year's report, the US officials criticised the tendency of individuals and the government to target the media with lawsuits. It also mentioned the government's increased censorship in the broadcast media, citing the forced closure of 17 radio stations, including community radio 92.25, which was targeted because of its critical content, the report said.

Websites attacking the government were also regularly shut down by the authorities, the report added. The high-profile US$50 million (Bt1.96 billion) lawsuit against Sondhi Limthongkul, of the Manager Group, by Thaksin was cited as an attempt to tame the media and stifle freedom of expression. The lawsuit was withdrawn last December following intervention by His Majesty the King.

The report commented on the government's effort to eradicate corruption, which it said did "not appear to have been effective" because of the widely reported scandal involving the bomb scanners at the new Suvarnabhumi Airport. Other corruption cases relating to catering services and car park charges were recorded.

From The Nation

The Culture Ministry has banned 40 VCDs it considers too violent or sexually explicit since it became the country's video censor.

The ban is necessary as more than 80% of their content features violence or sex, Ladda Tangsupachai, director of the Culture Watch Centre, said yesterday. The job of checking videos, computer games and online games was transferred from police to the ministry in Sept.

More than 2,000 games and films have been submitted for review. We have also censored parts of these games and films, Ladda said.

Based on an article from Thai Visa

The Assistant to the Information and Communication Technology Minister, Kannawat Wassinsangworn, is preparing to bring forth internet service provider protection laws, which will lead to the blocking of more supposedly obscene websites.

Kannawat stated that over the past year, the ministry was able to block the majority of more than 3000 foreign websites displaying improper content and materials. He stated that the ministry's goal was to counter as many of these web-sites as possible, and that this year's goal was similar to last year's.

The Assistant added that many internet service providers in Thailand have extended their cooperation in the government effort, but some have cited that there are no ISP protection laws, and that closing off web-sites may result in lawsuits.

The ICT Ministry will discuss this matter further and make a decision on what law to bring forth to counter this.

From the Bangkok Post

The government is trying to disrupt the operations of Manager Group's ASTV satellite TV channel, according to Pramen Pakdiwapee, the station's director. Pramen says ASTV's internet connections are mysteriously degraded every time it reports important news that could be viewed as anti-government.

ASTV has been the only channel to broadcast live the anti-government rallies since they started on Feb 4 at the Royal Plaza. Before that, it broadcast the Muang Thai Rai Sapda (Thailand Weekly) programme hosted by Manager founder Sondhi Limthongkul after the programme was booted off Channel 9 by the Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand.

ASTV currently has two separate 40 megabytes-per-second links, both with its connection provider. One link is used to send the seven ASTV channels to a satellite uplink station in Hong Kong and then to the Dutch NSS-6 satellite for broadcast to 20 countries in the Southeast Asian region. The other goes to Singapore to be uplinked to a satellite for broadcast in the USA and Canada.

Pramen said that while both links are with the same provider, there are always problems with the Hong Kong link while the Singapore link is much more reliable: I think the government does not know about the Singapore link or maybe does not care.

Pramen said government interference was clear, citing a recent case where ASTV successfully petitioned the Administrative Court for a restraining order preventing CAT from terminating its service as ordered by the Public Relations Department which is under the Prime Minister's Office.'CAT has in turn pressured our internet and satellite service provider to shut down our connections to both ASTV and Manager.

ASTV cannot uplink to satellites directly as national security laws forbid it, hence the internet link to uplink stations in Hong Kong and Singapore.

ASTV has over one million household subscribers through regional cable partners. They also have streaming servers so that people can watch it over the internet: Judging from the feedback we get, 80% of our viewers are in Thailand and 20% are from outside, mainly North America, Pramen said.

Asked to comment on allegations that ASTV was little more than an anti-government channel, he said channels 3,5,7,9,11 and ITV are mainly pro-government. What we are doing is giving the 10% of people who think differently a chance to express their views and opinions. That is democracy; that is free speech. Even if we give them 80% of the airtime on ASTV, it is still a tiny fraction of the total.

Meanwhile, Niran Yaowapa, webmaster of the manager.co.th website said authorities have tried various ways to disrupt the website. In January, access to the manager website was blocked from overseas. Such blocking can only happen at the gateway level (run by CAT Telecom), he said. He dismissed the possibility the servers were overloaded, as traffic was well within normal levels that day.

A source at CAT, speaking on condition of anonymity, said CAT had indeed blocked internet addresses belonging to the Manager and ASTV on Jan 27. However, the manager of the internet exchange Aniruth Hiranraks ordered the ban lifted the same day as soon as he found out, the source said.

This led to CAT acting CEO Phisal Jorphochaudom ordering Aniruth's transfer from the network section on Feb 1. A flurry of protests followed from the media and the CAT labour union and he was soon reinstated.

From The Nation

A senator representing Thailand's northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima Province on Tuesday alleged that government agencies are blocking local residents from political information by forcing cable TV providers to cancel their services despite having subscriptions.

Such acts will only drive more people to join the upcoming rally against the prime minister, warned the senator, Pichet Pattanachoti.

Pichet said residents of Chumpuang District and surrounding areas had complained that government officials forced their cable TV providers to disconnect their services to prevent them from seeing the news, as the opposition against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has grown with democratic activists planning the massive rally against him on February 26.

Villagers were told by their cable TV providers that they have been ordered to disconnect the services by government officials, police and district chiefs, he said: Doing this will push more people to rally to oust the prime minister.

From the forum at Thai Visa

Presumably they are blocking The Nation, ASTV channels (1-6) and a few others that "dare" to criticize this government. There may be other Thai channels doing this as well that I'm not aware of.

We've been lucky none of them have been removed from our service as I thought would happen eventually...

Spoke to soon!
Tonight's ASTV 1 presentation of a demonstration down South was temporarily replaced by a different channel.

From The Nation

The Social Development and Human Security Ministry will today propose that Cabinet ban television programming with violent content from being broadcast between 4pm and 10pm.

It also seeks a total ban on programming that depicts smoking and the consumption of alcohol.

Only programmes suitable for children will be allowed during the six-hour period, according to the proposal, although the length of the slot may be changed after further study by academics and the Culture Ministry. Programmes aired during the period must be educational and factual, and should not include offensive content.

The proposal calls for the establishment of a monitoring panel that could include representatives from the government, academia, business and civic groups. Viewers will be able to have their say via a telephone hotline, 1111, or mail.

From ABC Asia Pacific

Police in Thailand have blocked access to a publishing website promoting an unflattering new biography of the Kingdom's revered monarch, King Bhumipol.

Our South East Asia correspondent says in a country where criticism of the royal family is a crime, the authorities claim the website violates national security.

Until now, Thais could visit the webpage of US-based Yale University Press to read about the book everyone is talking about.

Entitled, The King Never Smiles, it's a 512 page biography that's outraged the Thai establishment well in advance of its publication date in May.

The world's longest reigning living monarch, King Bhumipol is revered by the Thai people as a living god and defender of the country's fragile democracy.

But his reputation will be strongly challenged by claims in the book by a former journalist who is said to have spent ten years researching the King's life.

The publication of The King Never Smiles will co-incide with commemorations mid-year to mark the King's 60th year on the Chakri dynasty throne.

From Yale Daily News

The Royal Thai Police Web site has banned more than 32,000 other sites since the government began censoring the Web less than four years ago. Granted, an overwhelming majority of the verboten Web material was reportedly blocked for the same reasons that U.S. government computers in a public school or office might do so -- more than 76% of the sites in question were declared pornographic or related to either prostitution or the sale of sex equipment. But another 11% of the blocked Web sites, roughly 3,600, are designated simply as a "Threat to National Security," which leads us to believe that many of them paint unflattering pictures of the Thai government and its head. This is an astonishing amount of censorship from a country with strong beliefs in free-enterprise economics and pro-investment policies.

Under the current strictures, we are hardly surprised that all traces of Handley's book -- which depicts the king as "deeply political, autocratic, and even brutal," according to promotional material from Yale Press -- have been restricted by the Thai Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. But by limiting free political expression in so blatant a fashion, the Thai government seems to have proven Handley's point well before the book hits shelves.

From the Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department

The Social Development and Human Security Ministry prepares to draft a law aimed at curbing obscene items and punish producers of such items, including those who videotape themselves while having sexual intercourse. The punishments of the offence are expected to be as severe as those in drug-related crimes.

Secretary-General of the Supreme Court Jarun Pakditanakul, as a member of a sub-committee drafting the law, said that the law aims at suppressing items leading to dangerous behaviors, including all kinds of obscene items. He said that the penalties for the crimes will be as severe as drug-related cases. He added that those who videotape themselves while having sex will also be punished, but he said that details will be considered to prevent the law from putting too much impact on freedom.

Another sub-committee member, Weerasak Kosurat said that issues related to obscene media, especially the sale of pornographic media, are becoming more problematic. He said Thailand becomes a location for filming pornographic movies as there are no laws in place. He added that the survey shows that 60% of e-business are related to pornographic media and related activities.

Weerasak said that the Anti-Money Laundering Office will be asked to seize assets of violators and the masterminds behind the activities. He said that the law will be proposed to the cabinet meeting soon, so that it can be enforced within this year.

Based on an article from Manager Online

The Information and Communication Technology Ministry (ICT) is taking another crack at banishing pornography from the country, this time by using hundreds of cyber snitches and closed-circuit television (CCTV) in post offices.

Just a few months after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that the government would begin to shift its focus to an agenda aimed at curing social ills, including pornography, ICT Minister Sora-at Klinpratoom said earlier this week that today will see the start of an initiative that will be executed by hundreds of employees and backed by tougher regulations, with the aim of ensuring that the country’s decency laws are observed.

The ICT has been blocking illegal websites for years, but, according to a spokesman, it has been nearly impossible to stop people from surfing illegal sites, due to the open nature of internet communication technology and the proliferation of websites with obscene content. The ministry estimates that there are more than one million websites with content that violates the law, and these pornographic websites get about one million hits from inside Thailand every day, Sora-at said yesterday.

So far, the ICT has gathered a list of fewer than 2,000 websites with content that is deemed illegal, and has requested that internet service providers (ISPs), such as CAT Telecom (CAT), True and CS Loxinfo, block their users from accessing the sites.

Most internet users access the web through a handful of licensed service providers, all of whom can filter out material from banned websites, said a spokesman at CAT. Every [ISP] has a proxy server and all data go through that server before they appear on subscribers’ computers, he said. So, it is easy for ISPs to filter content. Users usually don’t even know about the filtration process, as banned sites will often come up with normal error messages or “request denied” pages, he said.

The ministry spokesman said that, although they are difficult to breach, filters can stop access to specified websites only, and the ICT has not yet been able to identify every website which violates Thai law.

To get around the problem, the ministry has employed hundreds of so-called “cyber inspectors,” who scour the internet to identify websites with nudity or other obscene material. The ICT has its own website, where citizens can report potentially illegal web content, and it recently began giving away parental control software.

Starting today, the ministry is sponsoring a radio show which parents can call to report illegal websites and receive advice on how to monitor their children’s internet usage. It has installed a telephone hotline and is monitoring post office boxes to catch people who send printed pornography through the mail.

People can rent post office boxes, but they don’t have to register their names, [and] so, they can use them to send [pornographic] DVDs, books [and] CDs. Starting [today], everyone has to register to have a post office box number, and we will soon have CCTV in some post offices, the ministry spokesman said.

The ministry does not have an estimate of the number of people it suspects of viewing online pornography, but if internet porn is as widespread as estimated by Sora-at, the government’s efforts to block websites will have little impact, said telecommunications analysts, who expressed doubt over the government’s ability to stop people from accessing online pornography sites, even with the new policies and the cooperation of ISPs.

From The Nation

Thailand's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry plans to use criminal law as a tool to fight against improper websites--particularly pornographic webpages, ICT Minister Sora-at Klinpratoom said.

Sora-at said that his Ministry would cooperate with Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office Newin Chidchob to crack down on electronic media containing pornography and other unlawful activities. Newin was assigned by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra to oversee the vice websites particularly indecent webpages.

The ministry earlier asked internet service providers (ISPs) to cooperate with the campaign and help block unsuitable websites, Sora-at said, but the problem continues. Without voluntary cooperation, the minister said, the authorities will resort to applying criminal law to contain 'anti-social' activities on the internet, he said. At the same time he appeared to offer ways for ISPs to adjust their practices, as he said that the law would be gently implemented.

Sora-at said he would ask for more cooperation from the involved agencies, and that there would be no seizure of equipment for fear it might interrupt service to the public, he said.

The state-run telecommunications firm, CAT Telecom Plc, and Kasetsart University have jointly installed software capable of screening 80-90% of improper websites, he said.

But it is an uphill battle, he suggested, saying that many internet users wanted to visit sex-oriented sites and other sites that offer activities not considered to be in the public interest.

The Ministry will soon distribute screening software to schools and households in order to block improper websites in such places, he said.

Update 31st January

Update 2nd Gebruary

From the Bangkok Post

Corruption Watch, a website created to track corruption and scrutinise the government's use of power, has apparently been closed down, less than a day after the team was informed of the site's termination of service.

Visitors to www.corruptionwatch.net yesterday were met with an ''under construction'' notice.

The webmaster of the site only received a letter on Friday from internet hosting services provider Thaidreamhost, informing the site operators that service would be terminated on Feb 1st for reasons that would seem unclear.

Website co-founder Veera Somkwamkid, said the notice came as a surprise to the founders because the website was relatively new and had not caused the service provider any legal problems.

Veera said this would suggest that the hosting company had received an order to close the site down by withdrawing its hosting services: We had rented the space for over a month and caused no problems. We pay for the service. The information on the website had not generated any lawsuits. They haven't given us any reason for halting services so we can only assume that the company has been ordered to terminate our services.

Formed by respected persons involved in fighting graft, including Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka and Klanarong Chantik, former secretary-general of the National Counter Corruption Commission, the website was launched on Jan 9.

Its launch was hailed as providing an alternative tool for scrutinising alleged abuses of power by the government.

Sungsidh Piriyarangsan, another co-founder, also accused the government of being behind the withdrawal of services to the site. This just proves the government lacks sincerity in tackling graft and allowing public participation in the process.

From Thai Visa & Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department

The government has denied its involvement in the closing of a website monitoring corruption activities, saying that the matter falls under the Information and Communication Technology Ministry.

Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office Suranan Vejjajiva insisted that the government has no involvement in the closure of corruption watch website. Suranand said that he thinks it is a good to have a website to monitor the government’s work. He said that closing a website must follow many procedures and cannot be carried out immediately, adding that the matter falls under the Information and Communications Technology Ministry. However, he said that he will inquire for information from the ICT ministry directly, adding that if the website is legal, no one can order its closure.

www.corruptionwatch.net which was closed down on Jan. 29, now seems to be up again on Jan. 31. It now goes via a redirection which takes a little while. It is probably now being hosted somewhere other than Thailand.

From the Bangkok Post

The corruptionwatch website yesterday shrugged off help from the government by deciding to register in the United States after its local internet host closed it down, allegedly over its graft-scrutiny content.

The founders decided to register the website in the US in the hope it could operate with a greater degree of independence. The website will be reopened officially tomorrow and retain its old name, www.corruptionwatch.net

They insisted the website's objective was to investigate the corruption of past, present and future governments. It was beyond their comprehension why the site had been blocked when it was set up to listen to the opinions of, and receive information from, the general public.

The founding members' decision was announced at a press conference although the website was back online on Tuesday -after the government asked Internet Solution and Service Provider Co to continue hosting it. The government insisted it had nothing to do with the shutdown.

Based on an article from the Bangkok Post

The Manager newspaper's website faces being blocked with the Public Relations Department with some trumped up bollox about ''social chaos'', a source said yesterday.

The Public Relations Department reportedly sent a written document early this week to the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT), asking it to block web surfers from viewing the Manager website, www.manager.co.th on the grounds its content was deemed a threat to social order.

The website is run by the Manager Daily newspaper that was founded by media firebrand Sondhi Limthongkul. His ''Thailand Weekly'' talk show has exposed alleged irregularities in the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.

Thaksin last year filed six legal charges against Mr Sondhi and others, alleging libel, but withdrew them following His Majesty the King's birthday speech warning him not to over-react to critics. The court ordered the website to remove any news content critical of Thaksin.

The fresh move to block the website reportedly came with a written request from CAT to Internet Solution & Service Provider Co (ISSP), which offers network facilities to the site, the source said.

Last night the website was carrying a warning that it faced imminent closure, accusing the government of an ''act of tyranny'' and urging people to join the Feb 4 rally at Sanam Luang.

The source at ISSP said CAT should not be in a position to block websites. This should only be decided by the National Telecommunications Commission. The source said blocking websites was a major issue, to be done with caution.

From the Bangkok Post

CAT Telecom yesterday cut the signal of the ASTV satellite-based TV network's live broadcast of Sondhi Limthongkul's political talk show in Hat Yai. Sondhi and co-host Sarocha Porn-udomsak were explaining their plans to rescue the country during their show at the Prince of Songkhla University's conference hall when the signal was cut off, disrupting the live transmission of the programme from Hat Yai to Bangkok.

The station director, Pramen Thuk-diwatee, said they were forced to continue the broadcast via the internet.

Thaiday.Com, a firm belonging to Sondhi's family, would sue those involved in cutting the transmission. The shut-down was politically motivated, he said.

State-run CAT Telecom had ordered the signal cut. PM's Office Minister Suranand Vejjajiva, who oversees the Public Relations Department, said he asked CAT Telecom to suspend the ASTV signal.

From the Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department

The Social Development and Human Security Ministry prepares to tighten controls on TV programs, as some inappropriate pictures had been shown on air.

Social Development and Human Security Minister Watana Muangsook said that he ordered permanent secretary Wallop Ploytaptip to invite social academics for a discussion on January 13. He said the meeting will discuss forbidden characteristics of TV program shown during 6PM and 9PM, as they can affect children and society. He said that advertisements, music videos, and news programmes will be controlled for violent scene as well as pictures showing sexual contents which can negatively impact youngsters.

He said that the meeting will set up rules, adding that each channel will be assigned to monitor the programs. He said that if inappropriate pictures are still shown, the programs will be removed immediately.

The minister added that the Social Development and Human Security Ministry prepares to coordinate with the Public Relations Department in setting up regulations forbidding shows that should not be aired during 6-9 PM so that all TV stations can follow.

From The Nation

PM’s Office Minister Suranand Vejjajiva said yesterday that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was frustrated by the media’s choice of programming and wanted to see more constructive content, especially for children: What the government has been frustrated by is the difficulty for law enforcement [to enforce laws] because of vested interests. Although we have laws in place, games shops and printing houses pay bribes to police.

The minister also accused soap operas of “intoxicating” adults and youths with superficial values: These programmes [soaps] instil young people with lavish and superficial values. Children [learn to] value comfort and materialism. They want to earn a living fr