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Published on September 24, 2007

A recent news report by the London-based Financial Times that two Thai cyber dissidents using the pseudonyms 'Phraya Pichai' and 'Ton Chan' were quietly arrested under the new cyber crime law for lese majeste was greeted with almost absolute silence by the mainstream Thai media. Media reform campaigner Supinya Klangnarong has been pursuing the cases and submitted a petition to the prime minister last week urging an official explanation in regard to the arrests and transparency by authorities in dealing with the cases. Supinya talks to The Nation's Pravit Rojanaphruk about the controversial issue and its repercussion on freedom of expression in Thailand. Excerpts:

What's so special about these cases?

They are special because the two persons were the first to be arrested under the new cyber crime law. We have warned about the law being misused to crack down on political dissidents instead of real computer criminals [such as those involved with computer fraud] and now it has come true.

The new ideological battleground is shifting increasingly online with 12 million Thais having access to the Internet. The government is becoming more sensitive and strict. This is a reminder to us that a new method of struggle is needed.

The dissidents were treated like drug criminals or murderers, which is not right. Also, the government denied [the arrests] and wanted to keep it quiet.

What has the Campaign for Popular Media Reform, of which you are secretary-general, done about the two arrests?

Since the FT and Prachatai online newspaper reported the incident, we tried to get the news out to the wider public and called for the government to be responsible in dealing with the two. But the media in general has not reported it. We're also looking at offering human-rights legal representatives to the two, and we may hold a symposium to publicise the matter further.

Have you spoken to the detainees who have since been granted bail?

I talked to the lady [Ton Chan] after she was recently out on bail but not the man [Phraya Pichai]. They are in a difficult position and have apparently been instructed by the authorities not to talk with anyone [about the matter]. 'Ton Chan' appears to be still in shock. She told me she didn't know such a law existed. People may have different political beliefs but I was told they were treated like war criminals. She told me something like 'there's no real freedom in cyber space'.

You went to Government House last week to submit a petition but why has no news organisations except Prachatai.com reported the incident?

It's rather strange because in my past work at least some news photographers were dispatched to take photos and reporters would at least drop by. Could it be that there were many news items on that day? Or is it a sensitive issue so they avoided it?

What does the incident say about the current situation of freedom of expression in Thailand?

We're still wondering why the charges against the two are rather murky. Interpreting the law in such an encompassing manner could only lead to a curb on freedom of political expression. This issue will definitely be of interest to foreign countries even if the Thai media pay no attention to it. There will be more questions raised at international forums.

Whether we agree or disagree with the  views of the two, the issue is a challenge to all of us.

We have come too far in terms of guaranteeing rights and liberty to retreat. Right now we're confronted with a ceiling that we do not know what to do about it, however.

Millions are connected online and at the end they can't simply arrest all of them. The [quiet] arrest is a frightening incident as the law is not clearly written.