Thread: Censorship in Thailand

Originally Posted by Thaihome

more conservatism from the establishment

I assume that is a euphemism for continued censorship, repression, a rigged Judiciary & Police force, holding political prisoners indefinitely without bail or charge, wholesale corruption, and the continued suspension of the Right of Suffrage in violation of the Constitution. Or did I miss something?

BBC World Service - Documentaries - What Can I Say?

Lively, interesting and often funny radio programme - the second half of which focuses on Thailand's community radio stations (red and yellow). First half includes interviews with writers from The Nation about the state of Thai journalism.....

Health warning: Brace yourself for a blooper early on - the reporter refers to "former president Thaksin"

OK I have to ask, in the thai world of political repression and control of the net, how has TD escaped closure? Much of the sentiment expressed is not very flattering. Since IP addresses are simple to trace, have any members been, harassed, denied visa etc.

Did you know, It is important for those 300 folks in the hidden underground bunker to have something to do besides watch porno all day. What a terrible job, eight hours a day glued to the screen, protecting the virtues of Thais from nudity, boom-boom, bang-bang, foot worship, beastiality, and assorted other falng poison. God bless em. Then they have to fuzz out all those cigarettes from the decapitation movies. Oh my.

Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble

OK I have to ask, in the thai world of political repression and control of the net, how has TD escaped closure? Much of the sentiment expressed is not very flattering. Since IP addresses are simple to trace, have any members been, harassed, denied visa etc.

It’s pretty simple actually. No discussions of the royal institution in the context of politics is allowed. That rule is strictly followed.

Otherwise, you can say anything you want. Also, on TD, since it is an anonymous internet forum, slander and libel are allowed without any consequence unlike in real life....
TH

I have fond memories of a John Wayne film in which all of the cigarettes, knives, guns and alcohol were blotted out.

By the end of the film it had become more of a comedy than a cowboy movie.

I now know that if people get drunk they tend to kill each other, but I don't know what makes you drunk, and I have no idea what that thing is that goes "bang" and causes people to die.

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

Some people use proxies - not sure that helps much.

In Thailand, it may do worse that just not help much. As I recall, under the new CCA it's a crime in itself. Anyone know for sure?

Originally Posted by SteveCM

Anyone know for sure?

I do. I was temporarily on a MICT committee that helped draft that law. Yes, it's true.

Bangkok Post : Big Brother keeping internet clean for your own good!

Opinion
STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

• Published: 9/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Article 14 of the Computer Crimes Act, passed by the military junta's appointed legislature in 2007, prescribes a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht for anyone who introduces into any computer system "false" information likely to cause harm to others, damage national security or cause public alarm.

The article also prohibits the storing of computer data that contravenes criminal laws relating to national security or terrorism, as well as pornographic materials that are made accessible to the general public.

The same punishments apply to anyone who knowingly propagates or passes on such materials to others, and (under Article 15) to service providers (such as internet cafes, web hosting services and internet service providers) who allow such crimes to take place on their systems.

A word of caution! Please make sure you regularly cleanse your personal computer(s), iPods, etc, of all illicit content before "Big Brother" comes visiting. "A Coup for the Rich" has to go, I'm afraid; and don't forget to erase those sensational Constitutional Court videos or any photos or videos of Thai soldiers who appear to be shooting at people in the streets of Bangkok.

In case you're laughing, let me tell you that according to a recent "Situational Report on Control and Censorship of Online Media" (available on the web), between July 2007 and July 2010 there were 185 cases of arrests under the Computer Crimes Act of which around two-thirds were violations of Articles 14 -16 (mainly Article 14). At least 37 cases resulted in convictions by the courts, while many more cases are still pending.

The most prominent of these cases is the ongoing trial of Chiranuch Premchaiporn in her capacity as a web-board moderator accused of not deleting offensive postings quickly enough. You can easily find out about her case on the internet.

Several of those arrested were ordinary people who liked to participate in exchanges of political opinions on web boards. The father of one young woman who was held in detention for weeks without any publicity, described to me the early morning knock on the door of their town house, followed by the heavy-handed intrusion of more than 10 police officials and officials from the Information and Communications Technology Ministry, the arrest of his daughter, and the seizure of her computer.

After news of her arrest and detention without bail eventually appeared in the international media and international NGOs took an interest, she was released from custody and charges were dropped on condition that she refrain from talking to anyone about her arrest.

The situational report reveals that during the same three-year period, the ICT Ministry obtained court orders under the act to block nearly 75,000 URL's (web addresses). The vast majority were blocked on grounds of lese majeste content, while most of the remaining addresses were blocked for pornographic content.

These statistics do not by any means account for the total number of URL's made inaccessible to internet users in Thailand. For example, during the period of emergency rule following the violent confrontations between the red shirt demonstrators and the authorities last year, the Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situation used its authority to block a large but unknown number of websites under the Emergency Decree without the necessity of court orders. Most of these were political websites supportive or seen as sympathetic to the "red" cause. Even with emergency rule rescinded, at least some sites remain blocked. There is also much evidence of "unofficial" blocking of websites.

Today, it is not only websites with content referring to the monarchy that are blocked. Political websites such as Prachatai have been blocked. The YouTube videos purporting to expose shady dealings at the Constitutional Court are blocked so that you can't make any judgements for yourself. Even a perfectly tame video, http://bit.ly/eR83vD, showing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva speaking in Parliament while he was in the opposition, has been blocked by several ISP's. If it's blocked for you then you can view an identical version of the same video at an address which is not yet blocked, http://bit.ly/gMK8Yz. Well, as you may have gathered, my intention is to highlight the very serious lack of internet freedom in Thailand, and the atmosphere of fear of persecution that exists among a large section of the extensive online community of political commentators and discussants. Those who are not careful about what they discuss may either face prosecution under the Computer Crimes Act or charges of lese majeste under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, with possible imprisonment of up to 15 years. A number of internet bloggers have already been prosecuted and some sentenced under Article 112.

Internet freedom in Thailand is among the worst in the world. There is no way we can achieve democracy while this situation prevails. As I said in my last article on Feb 23, the Thai mainstream media is simply not interested, and has failed to report on online censorship issues and court cases involved, including Ms Chiranuch's trial which raises such important questions about freedom of the media. To find out about her case in mainstream media you need to go to BBC or the New York Times for information.

Big Brother thinks we (the Thai people as a whole) are too fragile to be exposed to the world of freedom of thought and free expression of political views. I'm sure Big Brother believes we're not ready for democracy, either. Sad.

Jon Ungphakorn is a human rights and social activist, winner of the 2005 Magsaysay Award and a former elected Senator for Bangkok.

^

that's as close to the bone as you are ever likely to see here .

Originally Posted by SteveCM

Bangkok Post : Big Brother keeping internet clean for your own good!

Opinion

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

• Published: 9/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Article 14 of the Computer Crimes Act, passed by the military junta's appointed legislature in 2007, prescribes a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht for anyone who introduces into any computer system "false" information likely to cause harm to others, damage national security or cause public alarm.

[...]

Big Brother thinks we (the Thai people as a whole) are too fragile to be exposed to the world of freedom of thought and free expression of political views. I'm sure Big Brother believes we're not ready for democracy, either. Sad.

Jon Ungphakorn is a human rights and social activist, winner of the 2005 Magsaysay Award and a former elected Senator for Bangkok.

I owe you an apology Jon for saying you needed to 'grow some balls'. Here it is.

Well said - and thank you and the Post for publishing that.

Originally Posted by SteveCM

Internet freedom in Thailand is among the worst in the world. There is no way we can achieve democracy while this situation prevails.

Thailand: Authorities Silence ‘Red Shirt’ Community Radios
April 27, 2011

Crackdown on Local Stations Undercuts Media Freedom


The upcoming elections can hardly be credible if the government closes down opposition radio stations and websites.
Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch


(New York) - The Thai government has shut down community radio stations associated with the anti-government "Red Shirt" movement, Human Rights Watch said today. The crackdown followed the government's announcement that it would dissolve parliament on May 6, 2011, in preparation for national elections. The government should immediately allow the stations to resume operations, Human Rights Watch said.

"The upcoming elections can hardly be credible if the government closes down opposition radio stations and websites," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "This government came into office saying it was committed to protecting rights, but it has become the most prolific censor in recent Thai history."

On April 26, hundreds of armed police officers joined officials from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to raid 13 community radio stations in Bangkok and surrounding provinces associated with the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), known as "Red Shirts." The stations were forced off the air for broadcasting material deemed offensive to Thailand's monarchy. Broadcasting equipment, computers, and documents were seized. At least two station operators were temporarily held in police custody and questioned, then released on bail.

The raids were ordered by the army commander-in-chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who accused the Red Shirt leader, Jatuporn Prompan, of linking the monarchy with the violent dispersal of the Red Shirt demonstrations in Bangkok in May 2010. Prayuth directed an army officer under his command to file lese majeste (insulting the monarchy) charges against Jatuporn.

A court warrant, seen by Human Rights Watch, provided vague authorization for the raids on the ground that the community radio stations have been operating illegally. But among hundreds of unlicensed community radio stations across Thailand, only those closely linked with the Red Shirts have been targeted, Human Rights Watch said.

The government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva promulgated a state of emergency in Bangkok and other provinces on April 7, 2010. Since then, the authorities had regularly threatened to bring charges against operators of community radio stations that broadcast the Red Shirt protests, saying the broadcasts were illegal. Between April and August 2010, armed soldiers and police were deployed to shut down more than 47 Red Shirt community radio stations in 13 provinces.

Most of them reopened after the state of emergency was lifted in December 2010, but community radio stations linked to the Red Shirts remain under close surveillance of the military-controlled Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC).

"Freedom for all Thais has suffered badly because the government and military have cast aside the rule of law to clamp down on critical speech," Adams said.

hrw.org

"This government came into office saying it was committed to protecting rights, but it has become the most prolific censor in recent Thai history."

.

Thanks for that Brad - nothing really to do with human rights though. Freedom of speech and expression sure.

Now then, still nothing to say about human rights abuses committed by the present regime and its puppet masters in April-May last year Brad? Some weak statement like that doesn't excuse your deliberate avoidance of the more pressing issues mate.

NEWSPAPER WORLD HEADS TO BANGKOK

Publishing professionals from around the world are heading to Bangkok this week for Publish Asia 2011.
More than 400 newspaper men and women from more than 30 countries will take part in a series of conferences and summits.
Read more: The Bangkok Bugle | News, views and information from Thailand and the media

Unbelievable!

Invite the Military into the door of government, and watch human rights and dignity leave via the window.

Originally Posted by The_Ghost_Of_The_Moog

Given they are being addressed directly, do we infer that Jon Ungphakorn and Brad Adams are posting on (or at least reading) this forum?

I'd be surprised if Adams isn't aware of TD .

Me too. In fact I'm sure he is aware. It's time to start challenging these so-called independent pressure groups. One needs only to look at the countries they are critical of, and then the ones they pull their punches on (like Thailand) to "get it".

Originally Posted by sabang

The fact that such sentences can appear in an editorial in one of Thailand’s best-known newspapers amply illustrates the grim mess Thailand is in.

Could not agree more .

Inside Thailand -- Ensuring the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression

(17/05/2011)

Thailand upholds the right to freedom of speech and expression as guaranteed by the Constitution. However, the right must also be exercised in accordance with the law.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained Thailand’s recognition of freedom of expression of individuals in response to the Human Rights Watch’s report released in early May 2011.

According to the Constitution, a person may enjoy the liberty to express his or her opinion, make speeches, write, print, publicize, and express himself and herself by other means. The mass media have the liberty to express their opinion and to present the news, but with strict concern for professional ethics.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that media restrictions in the country have been applied to the extent necessary to protect public order and national security by preventing their unlawful use as mediums to manipulate and incite violence and hatred among people as well as against the institution of monarchy.

Any person, regardless of his or her political affiliation, found to be responsible for such illegal acts will be prosecuted accordingly.

Be that as it may, the Government recognizes the need to strike a balance between an individual’s right to freedom of expression and protection of other rights, such as the right to privacy, and imperatives, such as national security, public order, and public morals.

That is why for the offence of lèse-majesté, for instance, the Prime Minister has set up a special advisory panel to serve as a mechanism to help screen and give advice to the police and the public prosecutor on merits of relevant cases, so as to ensure that the law is not abused and that people’s constitutional rights are duly respected and taken into account.

At the same time, the Government has encouraged media reform with a view to ensuring that the media can work with freedom without any form of threat or oppression and exercise such freedom constructively. The objective is to help the media develop a stronger self-regulating system.

In this connection, the Government has approved a draft law to protect the media profession and news consumers, as well as measures to strengthen media monitoring organizations. This is currently being scrutinized by the Council of State and will be ready for submission to the new House of Representatives after the next general election, scheduled for July 3.

Meanwhile, in his recent remarks on media reform, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva stressed that freedom should come with responsibility. Despite the overflow of information in today’s world and the pressure to keep news current, accuracy and accountability must remain the signpost of the media industry.

Originally Posted by SteveCM

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva stressed that freedom should come with responsibility. Despite the overflow of information in today’s world and the pressure to keep news current, accuracy and accountability must remain the signpost of the media industry.

Let's rephrase a little:

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva stressed that governing should come with responsibility and accountability, the freedom to challenge this fact must remain the signpost of the media industry.

That would be nice...