[governance] Fwd: Thailand Increases Controls on Cyberspace Through Use of Archaic Laws - Asia Pacific Memo 193

Wed Nov 28 06:59:56 EST 2012

FYI

-------- Originalnachricht --------
Betreff: Thailand Increases Controls on Cyberspace Through Use of 
Archaic Laws - Asia Pacific Memo 193
Datum: 2012-11-28 00:16
Absender: Asia Pacific Memo <asiapacific.memo at ubc.ca>
Empfänger: Lorena.Jaume-Palasi at gsi.uni-muenchen.de
Antwort an: asiapacific.memo at ubc.ca

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Asia Pacific Memo #193 [8] [9] [10]

Featuring accessible scholarly knowledge about contemporary Asia. 
_Learn more [3]_.

THAILAND INCREASES CONTROLS ON CYBERSPACE THROUGH USE OF ARCHAIC LAWS 
[11]

By Kieran Bergmann [12]
kieran.bergmann at utoronto.ca

Laws meant to protect the monarchy from "defamation" are increasingly 
being used to suppress free speech and discussion of politics in 
Thailand, particularly on the Internet. In the last six years, there has 
been a surge in prosecution of these "lèse-majesté" cases - some 
estimated as high as 1,500 per cent.

The government's primary method of controlling cyberspace has been to 
prosecute "offenders" under the lèse-majesté provision in the criminal 
code, which prohibits any act considered defamatory to the monarchy, and 
the 2007 Computer Crimes Act. The use of these two legal instruments in 
conjunction has extended the criminalization of lèse-majesté into 
cyberspace and broadened the pool of potential lèse-majesté "criminals."

In 2006, only 30 such charges were filed. In 2007, the year the 
Computer Crimes Act was adopted, 126 charges were filed. In 2010, a 
whopping 478 charges were filed. I found that the lack of clarity 
surrounding these laws and the very real threat of prosecution prompts 
many Thai commentators and editors to exercise self censorship.

When the current prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was elected in 
July 2011, there was hope that the number of such charges would drop. 
Her Pheu Thai party maintains close ties with her brother, former prime 
minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He was deposed in the 2006 coup amidst 
accusations of criminal conduct, including charges of lèse-majesté. But 
the government has ramped up its efforts. Last December, a "war room" 
was established in police headquarters where technicians work around the 
clock to monitor web sites for lèse-majesté content.

Citizens are pushing back. In May, after a 62-year old man died a few 
months into his 20-year prison sentence for allegedly sending 
lèse-majesté text messages, hundreds of citizens protested outside the 
Bangkok Criminal Court demanding reform of these laws. In June, a 
petition proposing amendments to the lèse-majesté laws was submitted to 
parliament under Article 163 of the Constitution, which requires any 
proposed amendment to a law to be examined if at least 10,000 citizens 
sign a petition of support. Unfortunately the amendments were rejected. 
The struggle for control of cyberspace continues in Thailand.

Thai citizens call for reform of lèse-majesté laws

(source: BBC)

The full Memo [11] includes links to related news articles and 
research.

Dr. Kieran Bergmann is the Google Policy Fellow at the Citizen Lab, 
Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. She previously 
worked at the Canadian Embassy to Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, and Laos.

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-- 
________________________________________________
Lorena Jaume-Palasí, M.A.

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