THAILAND: Illegal websites face rapid closure

ICT Ministry may also spend up to 500 million baht on tools that block access to websites with material deemed offensive to the monarchy

Bangkok Post
Thursday, October 30, 2008

By Komsan Tortermvasana and Wassayos Ngamkham

Websites deemed offensive to the monarchy could be quickly closed down, without waiting for a court order, under proposed changes to the law.

The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry will propose changes to the Computer Crime Act to speed up the process for closing offensive websites.

The changes would be forwarded to parliament before the session ends next month, ICT Minister Mun Patanotai said after meeting Interior, Budget Bureau, National Security Council, National Intelligence Agency, TOT Plc and CAT Telecom officials to discuss ways to tackle illegal websites.

The minister said a "significant" change would empower authorities to close websites more speedily, without having to first seek court approval.

He expected the amendments could be submitted to cabinet in the next two weeks and then to parliament for debate.

He said insulting content could already be detected, but weeks could pass before the court acted. The new law would allow action to be taken more promptly.

Mr Mun said the number of websites deemed to be insulting the monarchy had increased sharply following the Oct 7 clash between police and the People's Alliance for Democracy.

A meeting would be held next Wednesday with the National Telecommunication Commission, in a bid to get the cooperation of about 120 internet service providers to help detect such websites.

The ICTs own inquiries showed about 80% of websites which insulted the monarchy were hosted in foreign countries.

The ICT had taken action against 40-50 websites, with mixed success.

After being blocked, a new website could appear in as little as three minutes, said Mr Mun.

The ICT minister also said the ministry would consider spending up to 500 million baht on tools to block access to websites containing content deemed offensive to the monarchy.

The National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) said the investment would cost about one million baht, said Mr Mun.

Police have decided to recommend the prosecution indicts former PM's office minister Jakrapob Penkair on lese majeste charges arising from his speech to the Foreign Correspondents Club in August last year.

A police panel overseeing lese majeste cases has decided to discount eight witnesses police could not contact. Ten other witnesses had been questioned.

Mr Jakrapob, who resigned from his post in May, was accused of insulting the monarch when he talked about a perceived clash between the democratic and patronage systems.

Crime Investigation Bureau chief Worapong Chewpreecha said 32 lese majeste cases were pending. Police had recommended indictment in four cases.

Of the other cases, 15 concerned stories on websites, two others comments on community radio, and the rest general complaints.

Pol Lt-Gen Worapong admitted some cases were tough because the offences were committed overseas or witnesses refused to travel to give statements.

Police are filing a lese majeste charge against BBC Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head over his reporting from 2006 to 2008.

"For cases on the internet, webmasters only keep the information for 90 days. By the time police are alerted, the information is often gone," said Pol Lt-Gen Worapong.

"In other cases, police traced [the location of] the computer, but no one admitted responsibility."

Date Posted: 10/30/2008