Thai webmaster on trial

[PepeLePew]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/04/trial-begins-thai-webmaster-prachatai

 

 

The head of a popular Thai political website went on trial today, charged with violating the country's tough internetlaws in a case seen as a bellwether for freedom of expression in the politically troubled nation.

 

Chiranuch Premchaiporn, manager of the Prachatai website, faces up to 20 years in jail on 10 separate charges of failing to promptly remove offending comments posted on the website by readers.

 

The 2007 Computer Crime Act addresses hacking and other traditional online offences, but also bars the circulation of material deemed detrimental to national security or that causes public panic. Several people have been prosecuted under the law, but Chiranuch is the first webmaster to be tried, and her case has garnered the attention of free speech advocates around the world.

 

Thailand's freedom of speech reputation has taken a battering in recent years, as successive governments have tried to suppress political opposition. Its standing in the Press Freedom Index issued by the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders slid to 153 last year from 65 in 2002, when the ratings were initiated.

 

Prachatai, which was founded by several respected journalists, senators and press freedom activists to serve as an independent, non-profit, daily internet newspaper, has often run foul of the government.

 

Police arrested Chiranuch in March 2009 for an offence that allegedly occurred five months earlier. The controversial comments posted by readers were said to have defamed the country's monarchy. She was accused of not deleting the comments for several days.

 

"I'm not sure if Prachatai was targeted specifically," Chiranuch said earlier this week. "All I can say is, given the circumstances, we were doing our job as we would normally do."

 

Prachatai was one of scores of websites the government barred access to last year during political unrest in Bangkok that turned violent and left about 90 people dead. The government claimed the sites stirred up unrest among the "red shirt" protesters who were calling on the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to hold early elections.

 

Supinya Klangnarong, a media reform activist, said the computer crime act "has become a political tool of the state to close down websites and arrest people".

 

"The Thai state has been intensely using the act as political punishment, instead of curbing actual computer-related crimes," she said.

 

Chiranuch was charged late last year with another set of offences, including lèse majesté, another controversial area of law which mandates a jail term of three to 15 years for "whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the regent".

 

Critics say it is mostly used as a weapon by political opponents to try to punish each other, since almost any critical comment touching on the monarchy can be construed as disloyalty to the institution. Chiranuch denies breaking the law.

 

 

[xilef]

I wonder if the Thai government can prosecute across international borders. For example a site hosted in Thailand keeps its forum on a different server in Canada (any country) and posts a direct ip address link to the forum on the website. I don't know how the internet is manipulated in Thailaid, but the ip link avoids DNS but could be blocked though a state run router...Moot if they claim sovereignty over international servers though.

[properperson]

perhaps if the UK had such a hard like on criminals, the place wouldn't be in the mess that its in.............

[PepeLePew]

perhaps if the UK had such a hard like on criminals, the place wouldn't be in the mess that its in.............

 

If prison was a detterent wouldn't they be a lot less full?

[Kenjataimu]

Oddly I posted this same story, from another link and my thread was deleted by Dr Winston O Bogie. I assume yours will go the same way ?

[Kenjataimu]

I wonder if the Thai government can prosecute across international borders.

 

The USA Government does, an opening for a brave new world

[Edge]

Oddly I posted this same story, from another link and my thread was deleted by Dr Winston O Bogie. I assume yours will go the same way ?

 

This Rule perhaps:-

 

2. No disrespectful or inflammatory discussion regarding the current Thai government is permitted this includes all government agencies such as the Thai military, police, customs and immigration services.

[PepeLePew]

This Rule perhaps:-

 

2. No disrespectful or inflammatory discussion regarding the current Thai government is permitted this includes all government agencies such as the Thai military, police, customs and immigration services.

 

Yep, this is a pure news thread, posted for informational purposes only and so far everyone has been on best behaviour. Very odd for any thread I'm involved in!

 

 

I wonder if the Thai government can prosecute across international borders.

The USA Government does, an opening for a brave new world

 

Not sure they have exactly. Cross jurisdictional stuff gets a bit complex. For instance US is currently extraditing Peadophiles who commit offences abroad then trying them separately for the same crimes but there are specific laws to action this.

 

In the UK for a cross border prosecution to happen there must be a 'substantial connection' to the UK's jurisdiction and/or a substantial number of the activities that make up the crime must have happened within the jurisdiction. The CPS (prosecutors) must then liase with the other jurisdictons and decide if the case should be divided up or where it would be best heard. Of course this assumes the law has been broken in both jurisdictions.

 

For instance say someone hosted a 'Sexy Burka Girls' website in an Islamist country but held the pertinent files in Brazil. Unless Brazil laws were broken the Islamist country would not get any co operation for the case.

[leadpencil]

This thread is being closed as the original article involves the Thai Royal Family and any discussion on this subject is in breach of forum rules.