THAILAND: Website ban 'violates freedom of expression'

Website operators call for lift of ban on websites posting criticisms of Sept 19 coup

Bangkok Post
Thursday, November 9, 2006

By Linda Ratchai and Julawan Doloh

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 judgments 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 Mr Somkiat.

Martial law was imposed following the bloodless sacking of the previous government and will remain in place until the situation has eased, coup leaders say.

The ICT imposed the ban as it was told by the Council for Democratic Reform (CDR), now known as the Council for National Security (CNS), to ban political webboards found to contain provocative messages.

Mr 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.

During times of crisis people have the right to get access to information, said Mr Sombat, whose website was critical of the coup led by army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyarataklin.

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.

Date Posted: 11/9/2006

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