Internet community prepares its case on lese-majeste websites

The seminar is to gather viewpoints from the Thai Internet community, ahead of next week's meeting between their representatives and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Information and Communications Technology Minister Ranongruk Suwanchawee.

Jiranuch Premchaiporn, a committee member of the Thai Netizen Network, said netizens must involve themselves in monitoring their media. She said viewpoints expressed at the brainstorming session would be gathered for an open letter to the PM and the ICT minister.

The seminar, entitled "Government Should Not Take People's Freedom and Rights Hostage", is a cooperation of  the Thai Netizen Network, the Campaign for Popular Media Reform, and Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (Fact).

She said that blockade or closure of websites should be done with respect to freedom and rights. "This government, particularly the Democrat Party, has stressed much on liberties. Their sincerity may be doubted when they talk about website closure," Jiranuch said.

"The government should have a better understanding about the nature of the Internet and the online world. I don't think blocking websites deemed in contempt of the monarchy will help protect the monarchy," she said.

The Democrat-led government has made one of its priorities the defending of the monarchy's reputation.

Supinya Klanarong, a coordinator of the network, said its representatives would meet the prime minister next week to submit their open letter. She said the network would ask for participation in solving possible solutions to the problem of lese majeste on the Internet.

Police Colonel Yanapol Yangyuen, commander of the Department of Special Investigation's technology-related cases division, said that with recent crackdowns, there are now less than 100 websites with content seen as undermining the monarchy.

Yanapol, who is also chairman of the Thai webmasters association, said provisions in the current computer law are sufficient to deal with operators of those offensive websites.