FACTorial: Thailand – Keep your hands of our Internet!
Today’s arrest of founding FACT signer, founding member of Thai Netizen Network, independent news portal Prachatai’s website director and longtime free exporession activist, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, sends a clear message from Thai government.
Thai authorities want to stop freedom of thought, freedom of opinion, free discussion and free expression in Thailand, whether voiced on the Internet or through books, news, opinion and editorial articles, films and broadcast media. What kind of society can be have without being able to freely dialogue with one another?
The Web discussion boards at Prachatai and Same Sky are among those most frequently targetted for Internet censorship according to the leaked blocklists from Thailand’s ICT ministry. So far, Thai government remains unchallenged for the unconstitutional and undemocratic censorship of these fora.
Thai government must be held directly accountable for perpetuating the political class divisions growing daily throughout Thai society. Government’s repressive and draconian prosecutions under the Computer Crimes Act, the lese majeste laws and the Internal Security Act bely any lip-service at negotiation, compromise or understanding.
These arbitrary prosecutions and censorship in all Thai media fora are intended to stamp out all dissent, criticism or free opinion in Thailand.
Thailand recently had the most free media in Asia. However, Thailand is no longer bothering to make any pretence at democracy.
It is highly suspect that any comments made in Internet fora have been ill-intentioned. All the comments we’ve read have only Thai freedom and concern for the future of our country at heart.
The Thai justice minister has stated that there he will not permit prosecution of those unintentionally expressing comments which may be deemed illegal. Today’s arrest make those sentiments a bald-faced lie. Such a police raid must have had ministerial approval. Mr. Minister, where were you hiding?
Do we really want an unquestioning, uncritical, unthinking society, a return to the feudal oppression of the past? Does Thailand really want to be Burma, North Korea, Iran?
The recent revelations of a US secret prison in Thailand engaged in torture of foreign nationals with the cooperation of the military speaks louder by far than all Thai politicians’ platitudes, from the lowest to the highest. It is a quick slide from secret prisons to secret police. No one is safe in Thailand.
Chiranuch was arrested today by Royal Thai Police Crime Suppression authorities in a major police raid. Prachatai is made up of reporters not terrorists. Is this sort of “crime suppression” really aimed at healing Thai society?
Thai government bureaucracy is fuelling divisions which could potentially destroy our country and all it means. This abject political repression could serve to ruin all our King has accomplished for Thailand over 60 years. One has only to look to Nepal to see what happens when there is no room for reconciliation.
Political repression creates underground resistance as happened in Thai history during our transition from absolute to Constitution monarchy in the 1930s, during the Japanese military occupation of Thailand during
World War II, during Thailand’s October revolutions of the 1970s and even during the Black May crackdown of 1992. Is this what Thai government intends as a reason to justify further political repression?
We need a change in public policy in Thailand. We need a government for the people not against them.
We all have a right to free expression. Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) demands an end to the abuse of Thai law used solely for political repression.
We demand all charges be dropped against Chiranuch and Prachatai.
Stop all political persecution in Thailand now!
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