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Free speech activists demand an end to Internet censorship here

WEB SITE BLOCKING / PETITION SENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

DON SAMBANDARAKSA

A group of free speech activists under the banner of Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) has submitted a petition to the National Human Rights Commission demanding an end to Internet censorship in Thailand on the grounds that it is illegal, impossible to manage and that it is used as a smokescreen to silence critics of the administration.

Led by Thammasat University Literature Lecturer C.J. Hinke, Campaign for Popular Media Reform Secretary-General Supinya Klangnarong and Kasetsart Computer Engineering Lecturer Jittat Fakcharoenphol, the group delivered a petition to National Human Rights Commissioner Charan Dithapichai, who promised to fast-track the petition.

At the very least, the group wants the ICT Ministry to carry out censorship with transparency and name the sites which are blocked. They claim that around 11% of the pornographic blocked sites are not in fact pornographic in nature but instead carry criticism of either the Thaksin Government, the handling of the unrest in the South or, more recently, criticism of the 19 September military coup.

Many of these sites include established and reputable names such as certain pages from the BBC, CNN, Yahoo News, the Seattle Post Intelligencer, Amazon and Yale University, the group claims.

In the press conference, Supinya said that Internet media should be set free to help restore democracy, yet after September 19th, we have taken many steps back. It was bad under Thaksin, but it is even worse now.

Following the military coup, she claims many intellectuals have escaped to the Internet, yet many popular forums such as the Midnight University and Prachathai have been shut down recently.

Jittat said that society at large needs to come to an informed decision on whether the people of Thailand want freedom of speech or whether they want the ability to hold everyone responsible for their words. It is a choice that we, society as a whole, have to make. Control of these web sites is at a cost. We need data to make an informed decision as to whether this cost is worth paying,

However, the Kasetsart lecturer did point to the US as a possible model for Thailand to follow. Freedom of speech and anonymity is enshrined in law, yet the National Security Agency can, at a high cost, use cutting edge technology to find the identity of anyone. The distinction is that the technology allows identification only under extreme circumstances and is not within the reach of regular police or government officials.

Hinke, a resident of Bangkok for 17 years, told the small group at the press conference that the first book to be banned by Thai censors was a book on Thai law back in the 19th century.

On a practical note, Hinke said that censoring the Internet was impossible. Today the Chinese allegedly have over 100,000 people in government running the "great firewall" of China. How much of the Thai annual budget do we want to spend censoring web sites? And no matter how many you're not going to get them all, he said.

One of the problems that has led Hinke to act without the support of established human rights groups is that most are intertwined with women's rights and thus have a conflict of interest. On the one hand they want freedom of speech, but on the other hand, they want a ban on pornography and other forms of exploitation of women.

Hinke claimed that in October, the ICT Ministry paid two million baht to commission the law department of Sukhothai Thammatirat Open University to find a law that would give them an excuse to continue censoring web sites.

Asked about ICT Minister's Sitthichai's comments that even the most ardent free speech advocate would change his mind about censorship if pictures of his daughter or sister were doctored and posted on the Internet, Supinya replied rhetorically that perhaps the best way to bring up a daughter then is to keep her safe in a cage at all times. Yes, she will be safe, but she will have forgone her chance to live life, she said.

Hinke, whose young Thai-born daughter named Kwan was with him at the press conference, said it would probably be a joke on his dinner table. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Today, everyone knows you can do so much with Photoshop, he said, urging the government to treat people like grown-ups rather than children.

Jittat pointed out that censorship would not help anyway as those images could always be sent via email and even if the government were to eavesdrop on email, users could always send these images in an encrypted form.

After he had accepted the petition, Commissioner Charan said that he understood the concerns of the group and that he would fast-track the petition to the Commission which will soon announce whether they consider Internet censorship a breach of human rights or not.

The commission will also invite the Royal Thai Police and the ICT Ministry to present their side of the story.

Bangkok Post