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Published on September 14, 2007

Colonel Yannaphol Yangyuen, head of the DSI's Data Centre and Inspection Division, said yesterday that he would seek Cabinet approval for a ministerial regulation to allow all cases where suspects have posted offensive comments about the monarchy on the Internet - and those who break into computer systems of state agencies in order to steal, change or destroy information - to be automatically transferred to the DSI.

"This is to make the new Computer Crime Act more efficient and enable us to arrest more people who violate the law," he said.

Currently, the national committee on special investigations decides which cases should be transferred to the DSI.

The Computer Crime Act, which came into effect on July 18, was immediately controversial following the arrest of two people last month for offensive comments they posted on Internet chat rooms.

The two arrests were first reported by the London-based Financial Times early this month.

Since then, net surfers and webmasters have sought an explanation from the government over the arrests. However, so far, no state agency has gone public with any information.

Chiranuch Premchaiporn, web manager of Prachatai Online, which allows visitors to post comments on its news reports and web board, said the unclear information about the arrests and the use of the new Computer Crime Act had caused uncertainty in the cyber community.

"The silence from the authorities makes us doubt the justice procedure related to the cases. It would be better if police and states agencies explained the matter," she said.

Due to the uncertainty, Chiranuch says she sometimes applies self-censorship by deleting some provocative comments posted on Prachatai's web board.

 Meanwhile, www.thaijustice.com, a website that provides information about the legal process and justice systems and publicises court sentences on controversial cases, closed down yesterday.

Webmaster Udom Sae Ung posted a personal message on his web page saying he had to shut the site after he received a warning from the police's Crime Suppression Division that he might be charged with contempt of court.

An official letter sent to him by Colonel Wissanu Muangphraesri, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, was posted on the site.

In the letter, Wissanu demanded Udom send all information related to the website's operations.

The Nation