Thailand faces media clampdown
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No news is not good news Thai radio, television and internet operators will from tomorrow face closure if they disseminate "news and comments deemed a threat to national security and the monarchy", Reuters reports.â¦
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Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra will be arrested if he returns to the country, officials warn.
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Thailand's military-installed government offered Saturday to negotiate with ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra over his recently frozen assets, as thousands of people protested in support of the former leader.
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US-based Human Rights Watch warned that a libel suit against critics of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra filed by a corporation he founded, along with increasing government pressure on the media was threatening to stifle press freedom in Thailand.
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Security is tight in Thailand ahead of a court ruling that could see the two main political parties disbanded.
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Thailand's military rulers urged foreign media Friday to tone down what they called unfair coverage of their coup, saying they were concerned by the international community's reaction and particularly want to respond to criticism by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
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THAILAND faced furious protests from Islamic countries and organisations yesterday as horrific details emerged of the deaths of 78 Muslims in military custody on Monday.
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Thailand's military rulers announced a stop-gap prime minister and constitution on Sunday, fulfilling a promise to step back in favor of civilians within two weeks of last month's coup against Thaksin Shinawatra.
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BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's military coup leaders faced international calls yesterday for a swift return to democracy, after vowing to choose a new prime minister within two weeks to replace ousted Thaksin Shinawatra.
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The latest crackdown comes before a protest planned this week against new government curbs on the news media, a government official acknowledged Wednesday.
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Under mounting domestic and international pressure, the Pakistani government yesterday suspended stringent media restrictions that critics said were designed to muzzle journalists .
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Thailand's post-coup government decided to lift martial law in the capital and nearby provinces on Tuesday to deflect international criticism after a September 19 putsch, Defense Minister Boonrawd Somtas said.
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Burma's military rulers try to stop the flow of information to and from the country as a crackdown on anti-government protests continues.
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(InfoWorld) - A press advocacy group is "dismayed" about Google's decision to block YouTube videos from viewers in Thailand that are considered inappropriate or illegal by that Asian government. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), calling Google's reported agreement with the Thai government "a censorship deal," said on Wednesday that the move creates "a dangerous precedent, which could have global implications for freedom of expression." "There is a clear potential for abuse of people's right to information, which seems much more likely now [that] Google has demonstrated its willingness to collude with governments to effectively censor information," IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said in a statement. The Thailand Embassy in Washington, D.C., didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. On Friday and during the weekend, various news outlets reported from Bangkok that Thailand had lifted a five-month ban on YouTube for its residents after Google agreed to block videos the government finds objectionable. In an article posted Friday, the International Herald Tribune quoted Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, Thailand's minister of information and communications technology, as saying that YouTube had agreed to block clips deemed offensive to Thai culture or that violate Thai law. People accessing YouTube from outside of Thailand will be able to view the videos blocked in that country, the minister told the International Herald Tribune. Thailand blocked all access to Google's YouTube, the world's most popular video-sharing site, in early April after someone posted a video the government considered insulting to the country's king. YouTube is "pleased to hear" that access to its site has been reinstated in Thailand, a YouTube spokesman said via e-mail Wednesday. "We appreciate the constructive dialogue we have had with the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Ministry.Â YouTube remains committed to removing videos when they violate our content policies, and we will continue to work closely with authorities in Thailand," the YouTube spokesman wrote. YouTube has taken steps to make sure that its users in Thailand will not be able to access videos that have been identified as violating the country's laws, he confirmed. Asked if YouTube's parent company had any reaction to the IFJ's criticism, he said the question should answered by a Google official. At press time, no one from Google had responded to this question. Those found guilty of offending the monarchy face serious penalties in Thailand. Days before the YouTube incident, a Swiss national living in Thailand got slapped with a 10-year jail sentence for defacing images of the king. This is the latest incident in which Google and other providers of Internet services, such as Yahoo and Microsoft, find themselves criticized for censorship by human rights organizations, press advocacy groups, U.S. legislators, and shareholders. For example, several Internet companies have been criticized for agreeing to censor content in their China sites and search engines that the Chinese government finds objectionable. Yahoo in particular has been blasted often for cooperating with the Chinese governmentÂ and providing information that has led to the arrest of dissidents and journalists. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others invariably defend themselves saying that they must comply with the local laws of the countries in which they do business and that governments must collaborate to establish international standards of operation. "We always welcome constructive discussions with local governments around the world on similar issues. We are committed to addressing these questions in ways that both respect relevant laws and cultural concerns and are consistent with our global content policies," the YouTube spokesman wrote. When it comes to content that may break local laws, YouTube works with local authorities to resolve the issues. "We think this approach strikes the right balance betweenÂ freedom of expression and respect for local law," he wrote. Thailand recently introduced the Computer Crime Act, which gives authorities the power to seize the computers of people suspected of accessing or creating content deemed insulting or pornographic, according to the IFJ. Activist, social worker and webmaster Sombat Bun-ngam-anong is currently serving a 12-day detention order for alleged defamation for violating the Act, the IFJ said in Wednesday's statement. Also on Wednesday, Reporters Without Borders, another international press watchdog group, reported that a Thai blogger named Pichai has been reportedly detained for the past 12 days, also for violating the Act, which this group says took effect on July 18. The blogger's arrest "confirms our fears about the dangers of a law that is supposed to combat pornography but turns out to be a way of restricting and controlling press freedom," Reporters Without Borders charged.
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Thailand's military council on Sunday issued new orders intended to stave off any possible opposition to their coup, banning political activities at the district and provincial levels.
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Thailand's armed forces have seized power from Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a late-night bloodless coup, revoking the constitution and imposing martial law after months of political turmoil.
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BANGKOK -- Thailand's new military rulers banned all political gatherings and activities at the local level yesterday, further cementing their powers and preempting any opposition following last week's bloodless coup.