WebBlocks:StateVandalism

[Chi Man]

After reading the interesting page on banned websites yesterday here on 2Bangkok.com, I visited a few anonymous surfing websites on the net to see if they could get around the censors in Thailand. They did just fine, allowing me to pull up a banned gambling website, www.betfair.com.

This morning, I tried to pull up a few of the anonymous surfing sites that I used yesterday, and guess what? The good ol' BANNED screen came up for most of them (not all that I used but the majority). Those sites I used and now banned include the following: anonymouse.com, proxify.com, and proxy4free.com. I also used anonymizer.com, but it escaped somehow.

Big brother is watching you. :mad:

Chi Man

[jpatokal]

This one won't be banned anytime soon:

http://webaccelerator.google.com/

[Chi Man]

Yes, authorities wouldn't likely ban Google's web accelerator. However, look at this post that Google put on the accelerator link:

Thank you for your
interest in Google Web Accelerator.
We have currently reached our
maximum capacity of users and
are actively working to increase
the number of users we can support.

[Chi Man]

Weird thing---this morning, a day after most of the anonymous sites came up banned, they're accessible once more. Strange. I tried a dozen or so anonymous surfing sites, but the banned ones had one thing in common: no encrypted URL listing. :confused:

[GWR]

The TNA link on this frontpage item no longer works.

New New visa regulations for foreign website owners - TNA, April 1, 2006
New regulations in effect from March 31 require foreigners applying for B, M, or O-type visas to disclose if they are owners of a website. If the website is commercial, they must possess a Thai business registration in the form of a limited partnership. If the visa-holder intends to post material to a website whether for pay or voluntarily--including Internet "forums"--the material must first be reviewed by the Ministry of Culture. Visitors with tourist visas are exempt from the new regulations.
The Ministry denies that the new regulations will be used to censor political speech. Instead, the Ministry is mainly focusing on material that might be of detriment to Thai tourism or the country's image in general.
The Ministry rejected plans to require foreigners who use the Internet to install a "Cyber Cop" program to ensure they abide by the new regulations since this would be seen as too restrictive and not in line with requirements for foreign guests in other countries.
"It is a privilege to hold a Thai visa," said Khunying Suchada Wattanasiritham, Director of Internet Hygiene at the Ministry of Culture. "We expect our guests to say good things about our country when they are online and I am sure they will want to..."

This seems to be the Khunying in question. Presumably 'Jada' is a short form of Suchada. Seen here as a part of some peace-building soiree. President of the Siam Commercial Bank, Bankers to the Hermetically-Sealed:) :-


http://peace-foundation.net.7host.com/assets/partner/100.jpg

[jpatokal]

And a happy April Fool's to you too :p

I quite liked the Erawan mobile phone shrine sponsored by AIS though :D

[Chi Man]

Glad to see you have discovered Torpark, the USB device-friendly version of Tor's anonymizing software. Tor allows you to get around Thailand's stupid government censorship quite easily. They've recently blocked Tor's home website (http://tor.eff.org/), though, and they're likely to discover Torpark soon and block it too. Apart from P2P file sharing networks, there is only one place to get Torpark as far as I know. There is, however, another site where you can download the latest and greatest Tor version: http://www.vidalia-project.net/

Of course, once you have any version of Tor running on your system, you can use it to download future releases.

May I suggest that those running P2P sharing services like Gnutella keep a copy of the latest Tor release in their searchable download folder so others can get a copy if needed.

Feel the force of freedom....
Chi Man

[Dionysus]

Could you please enlighten me on how to use it? I've already downloaded it but still cannot get around the block......

[Baton Rouge]

Are you using a broadband connection? Local dial-in connections probably don't have enough bandwidth. I got it to work easily on a broadband. There isn't much to do other than run the program and let it open the included Firefox browser when it's ready to boogie. One Firefox is open you can paste in any URL you haven't been able to access recently.If it doesn't boogie, your connection probably doesn't have enough bandwidth, whatever that really means?

[Dionysus]

Yes I am using BB and still not working.... :(

[waerth]

I also have torpark. It slows things a bit down, but it works. So now anytime I bump into a site on my normal firefox that has the censorship on it I copy and paste the url. Close firefox open Torpark et voila :)

W :D

[GWR]

Does the built-in Firefox browser actually open? I suspect it's some kind of proxy server problem and I don't know much about such things, but I did notice that the Torpark FAQ said it could be a problem. So a visit to the download site is probably your best bet.

[Chi Man]

First, I'm not sure if you mean how to use Tor or how to use Torpark. They're different. I'll take Torpark first.

To run Torpark, just click on the Torpark application. Everything is pre-configured to run properly. Firefox will come up by itself when the whole application loads, which may take a few minutes depending on your computer. It can be so slow loading that it may seem that it won't work. Just be patient. Once Firefox comes up, you can surf as usual.

Running Tor (as opposed to Torpark) is a little more complex but not really complicated. If you have the latest Vidalia/Tor/Privoxy combo package, you just run Privoxy and Vidalia. Tor may or may not start automatically when you run Vidalia. In your system tray (the little icons on the bottom right of your computer next to the clock), if the onion is yellow, Tor isn't running. If it's green, Tor is running. To start Tor, right-click on the Vidalia onion in the system tray and select "Start" at the top of the menu. The onion icon should then turn green once Tor starts.

Now that you've got Tor running, you need to get Firefox to use it. There are a couple of ways to do this using various Firefox extensions (Torbutton is one, and FoxyProxy is another). I'll tell you how to set Firefox manually to use Tor. Before Firefox can use Tor, you need to change the connection settings. Go to Tools/Options/General Tab/Connection Settings. Select "Manual Proxy Configuration." In the large fields, type in "localhost" (no quotes) for HTTP, SSL, FTP, Gopher, and SOCKS Host. Then type in 8118 for the port for each of those except for SOCKS Host. For SOCKS Host, type in 9050. Select the Socks V5 radio button. Then for the "No Proxy for" field, type in "localhost, 127.0.0.1" (no quotes). Click OK and you're done.

Now Firefox will work with Tor. Try going to this URL to test whether you're using Tor or not: http://serifos.eecs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/ipaddr.pl?tor=1 To stop using Tor, just go back to Connection Settings and select "Direct Connection to the Internet."

Hope this helps.

Chi Man

[Chi Man]

The friendly folks over at the Electronic Frontier Foundation just released a new version of Tor. Better, faster, and stealthier, this Tor (version 1.1.20) is a must-have to stick it to the Thai Cyber "got a f**ing stick up their a**es" Cops. Get it from http://tor.eff.org/ if you can, or do a search on the various file-sharing services.

[Chi Man]

Feeling sorry for those stuck behind the aluminum foil (hardly an iron curtain) of Thai censorship, I thought I'd list some alternative places to get Tor. The Tor sites run by EFF ( http://tor.eff.org/ and http://tor.eff.org/dist/ ) are blocked in Thailand (or were the last time I checked). If you haven't been able to get Tor, there's still hope. Try the links below.

If you download using BitTorrent, try this link:
http://opensource.depthstrike.com/?category=tor

Otherwise, here are some mirror sites for both the Tor website and the various distributions (versions) of Tor. The latest and greatest version is 0.1.1.20. Be sure to get the Tor/Vidalia/Privoxy bundle, not just the Tor stand-alone program.

http://tor.cypherpunks.at/
http://tor.cypherpunks.at/dist/
http://tor.depthstrike.com/
http://tor.depthstrike.com/dist/
http://download.berapla.de/mirrors/tor/
http://rem.spline.de/tor/
http://mirror.onionland.org/
http://mirror.onionland.org/dist/
http://tor.plentyfact.net/
http://tor.plentyfact.net/dist/
http://tor.plentyfact.net/dist/
http://ftp.bit.nl/mirror/tor/
ftp://ftp.bit.nl/mirror/tor/
http://ftp.se.linux.org/crypto/tor/
ftp://ftp.se.linux.org/pub/crypto/tor/
http://tor.meulie.net/
ftp://libertarianactivism.com/tor.eff.org/dist/
ftp://ftp.cs.stevens.edu/pub/tor/
http://www.ghirai.com/tor/
http://www.theonionrouter.com/

Feeling the flow of freedom...

Chi Man

[FarangBha]

Hey guys, useful thread.

I'm about to hook up to broadband in a new condo, but it seems my options are limited to Buddy Broadband or TOT.

Which is the better option, considering I need to use skype, access some banned sites, download vids, streaming vids/radio, and some bit-torrent use.

I've heard bit torrent is blocked by some providers, if so is there a way around it (I intend to spend some time soon looking into the links above).

Chhers.

[webproxy.dk]

http://anonymizer.at
http://cgiproxy.at
http://phproxy.dk
http://proxyhost.org
http://webproxy.dk
http://phproxy.frac.dk
http://phproxy.1go.dk
http://home.no.net/phproxy 500MB a day bandwith limit
http://home.no.net/webproxy 500MB a day bandwith limit
http://home.no.net/djrimi 500MB a day bandwith limit


regards.

[Chi Man]

I'm not sure what to tell you as I don't have experience with either Buddy or TOT for broadband connections. I haven't heard of torrents being blocked by ISPs. True doesn't block torrents, Skype, large downloads, or streaming content, but I'm not sure about the other ISPs. Ask the ISP directly and see if you can get a straight answer. As for banned sites, use Tor, which will work regardless of the ISP you choose.

One more thing, many people abuse the Tor network by downloading large torrents through it (movies, CDs, etc.). That slows everything down for everyone. Not that anyone reading this would abuse the network like that....

[Chi Man]

Good news! New Tor and Torpark versions are available (Torpark is a major new release). What's more, I noticed that both websites are unblocked today (Tor has been blocked, but never Torpark as far as I know). Go get 'em and stick it to the little boys in the yellow shirts.

http://tor.eff.org/
http://torpark.nfshost.com/

[GWR]

In response to admin's frontpage http://www.2bangkok.com/ question as to 'What is the Midnight University?'.: -

http://www.midnightuniv.org/

I have heard that it is an attempt by some more radical academics at universities in the Chiang-Mai area to arrange for socially-conscious adult education for the great mass of ordinary unqualified folk who work in or arround the Night Plaza.

Some of these esteemed academics are occasionally called on by the press Johnnies to comment on the Shinawatra Chiang-Mai hegemony. 'They' were amongst those who commented on the recent running-out of town that the Dems suffered at the hands of the Lanna landed SUV lynch mob that descended on their election rally at CM Uni. 'They' seem to be of the opinion that the Thaksin thrall is beginning to pall somewhat on the less financially secure Lanna sons of the soil.

I wouldn't quote them on that!

Love the post-modernist Agitprop!

[Naphat]

I have heard that it is an attempt by some more radical academics at universities in the Chiang-Mai area to arrange for socially-conscious adult education for the great mass of ordinary unqualified folk who work in or arround the Night Plaza.

Hmm... I don't think they are that radical, maybe a better word is progressive? One of the founders is Nidhi Eoseewong, a respected historian and public intellectual. They aim to teach topics in humanities in a 'problem-oriented', more accessible and interactive way (lecture for 15 mins, rest of the hour for discussion) but I don't think their aim is just for the Night Bazaar crowd, but anyone who cares to join. Not exactly sure what courses they offer, but from the TV programs (http://midnightuniv.org/middata/newpage4.htm) they've produced for channel 11 seems they quite academic but also dwell a lot on local or NGO-ish issues.

The (scary-looking) website is more of a repository for academic papers and articles, not entirely representing what is taught at the university (actual location here (http://flickr.com/photos/41143362@N00/73507665/in/set-1578929/) via fringer.org (http://www.fringer.org/?p=66)). Most of the content is in Thai, but you can find occasional articles like this one (http://midnightuniv.org/midnight2545/document9555.html) in English.

If I guess right, the same academic that commented on TRT and Chiang Mai is probably the same one who initiated the 1-million postcard campaign (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/royalplaza/rally20.html) to oust Thaksin. 'He' is the resident pomo expert I think.

[BangkokPundit]

They aim to teach topics in humanities in a 'problem-oriented', more accessible and interactive way (lecture for 15 mins, rest of the hour for discussion) but I don't think their aim is just for the Night Bazaar crowd, but anyone who cares to join.

As Naphat says Midnight University is certainly not just for the Night Bazaar crowd. Midnight University is a forum for primarily left-wing academics to get their message across to the public at large. The website provides a way to disseminate articles outside of the normal journal structure.

[admin]

I'm looking for the Thai blocklist of sites for ISPs... I have one from about two years ago, but have not been able to find a recent one.

Does anyone know if the list is exposed somewhere on the MICT site or on one of the local ISPs?

[admin]

Does anyone have a recent copy of the government block list for Thai ISPs?

Does anyone know how to access the list?

[GWR]

It still appears to be beyond reach: -

http://www.midnightuniv.org/

MU outraged by site's blockage

The Midnight University yesterday issued a statement "opposing the closure of channels of free communication" and called on members of the public not to submit to the military junta's violation of people's rights.

The statement said the military leaders had thoughtlessly closed down websites that expressed dissenting views on the coup, showing that it was incapable of leading political reform that was free and equally open to all.

The university's website has been blocked by the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry since Friday night.

The statement said that it was not hard for the university to overcome this technical difficulty as it had received various offers from international hosting companies to host its website overseas.

"We are of the opinion that the problem of availability of a public space is not technical in nature, but essentially political. And it has arisen because the self-proclaimed 'Council for Democratic Reform' [known as the Council for National Security from yesterday] has used its coup-begotten power to impose a blockage on public space.

"Therefore, we need to fight this illegitimate power together right here in this land rather than evade it and find a new public space elsewhere."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/10/02/national/national_30015157.php

[admin]

2Bangkok is cooperating on a research project about the blocking of websites around the world.

We are looking for sites that
- have been blocked in Thailand
- are suspected or were once blocked
- that were rumored to have been blocked
- sites that run the risk of being blocked
- extreme sites of any kind that have not yet been blocked

In addition, there are some categories in which we were unable to find many good local Thai or Thai language sites. These categories are:
Military extremists and separatists
Hate Speech
History, Arts, and Liturature
Sex Education
Drugs and Alcohol
Religion
Anonymizers
Hacking
Translation
Multimedia

If you can suggest any sites in these categories, please let me know the site URL, category, brief description, and whether the site is or has been blocked.

You can either post this info to this thread OR if the info is too sensitive, email me at ron@angkor.com.

Here is the complete category list of the types of sites being surveyed:

Primary and secondary category codes
Free expression & media freedom
Political transformation
Political reform
Militants, extremists & separatists
Human rights
Foreign relations & military
Minority rights & ethnic content
Women's rights
Environment
History, arts & literature
Hate speech
Sex education & family planning
Public health
Gay-lesbian
Pornography
Provocative attire
Dating
Gambling & gaming
Alcohol & drugs
Minority faiths
Religious conversion, commentary and criticism
Anonymizers & circumvention
Hacking
Blogging domains and blogging services
Web hosting sites & portals
VOIP
Free email
Search engines
Translation
Multimedia sharing
P2P
Groups & social networking

Content Provider
Political party
Blog
Individual
Chat room or discussion group
Academic or research organization
Local NGO
Regional NGO
International NGO
Intergovernmental organization
Foreign government
Private company
Labor unions
Independent media, press, newspapers, TV
Government media
Religious group
Military, militant group
Provider unspecified or anonymous
Other - 'Specify'

[GWR]

The People Must Stipulate Constitution
The seizure of power and the tearing up of Thailand’s Constitution of 2540 B.E. (1997) by the Council for Democratic Reform (CDR) have led to another destruction of important governing principles and of democratic development in the Thai society. Such action, no matter from any pretext or reason, is a drastic change not in line with democracy.
CDR has offered the way to bring the Thai society back to its normal state after the seizure of power. It has offered the formation of constitutional drafting committee that will take at least 8 months 15 days to completion. With this new constitution, there will be an election and the return to parliamentary system. In reaching that goal, there will be an interim appointed government to rule the country.
It looks as if the CDR will continue to exert its power in the drafting of the new constitution both directly and indirectly. Despite its call for people’s participation, the CDR will continue to exercise its power in the final decision. With the laws that limit people’s freedom, i.e. the martial laws and a series of recent and current proclamations, the constitution under the CDR’s process of control is not capable of building a strong democratic society. It must be understood that constitutional drafting does not merely come from the assemblage of people but also from favorable conditions for people to exert their influence on policies and freely to express their ideas. This can only happen in society where the rights and liberty of the people are respected.
The Midnight University believes that in order to bring Thai society back to democracy, the following process must be undertaken.
1. The interim government in formation should be vested with the only responsibility to arrange for an election within a reasonable time-frame, sufficient for the preparation of an honest and equitable electoral process. This is due to the fact that such interim government does not originate from a democratic means and therefore is not in a position to undertake other actions deemed unnecessary.
2. After the election, the CDR must immediately dissolve itself from the political arena and must not exert is power behind the political system no matter under what name or whatever means of control such as the so-called the National Security Council.
3. The foremost responsibility of the newly elected government is to bring about political reform without any intervention nor control from the CDR, on the ground that the constitution is formulated by the people according to the will of the people.
The main focus of the political reform is to solve the problems of disunity and violence within the Thai society and to proceed to the establishment and continuing stability of democratic system, without which the tensions and conflicts between different groups with unequal power would remain. Systematic disadvantages among certain groups of people who share no political power with other socio-economic groups will inevitably lead Thai politics to discords, tensions, politic of pseudo populist policies and the repetition of coup d’etat in the future. All these flaws must be corrected through a political reform conducted under free society which encourages equitable participation of all groups of people.
The political reform and the newly drafted constitution born under the “system” in which the people are able to participate in formulating will be an assurance that they will really be empowered in the process. The Constitution will be able to respond to the problems and the needs of the people from various groups in the society and will enforce societal strength in facing problems instead of reliance on power from outside the democratic institutions.
The Midnight University would like to call on Thai society to put pressure on the CDR to let the interim government exercise its only duty of arranging a fair and clean election that will lead to political reform and free from the CDR control.


The Midnight University
September 28, 2006.


http://www.2bangkok.com/06/StatementfromMidnightUniversity.doc

[Yappofloyd]

Good to see that there is still some judicial recognition of the right to free speech. However, ICT did after all change the block after being instructed by the CDR so perhaps the point was somewhat moot. ICT should just pay the compensation sought, only 18K baht, and put the matter behind them.

MEDIA / FREEDOM OF SPEECH Court issues order to protect uni website Bk Post 21/10/06
The Administrative Court yesterday ordered a temporary protection for the Midnight University website from any closure by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry pending its trial. The www.midnightuniv.org, a popular online academic forum, was banned on Sept 29, a day after its scholars tore down an imitation interim charter to symbolise their opposition to the coup makers' charter.

The incident prompted webmaster Somkiat Tangnamo and web space provider Thaiis.com Co to file administrative charges against the ICT and sought the court's order to reopen the website. The plaintiffs, who filed their case on Oct 9, complained that the ministry had not justified the closure and the unilateral action affected academic rights. The webmaster said the temporary closure affected not only the right of visitors to gain access to information, but also the business of Thaiis.com Co because 30 websites of this firm had been closed altogether during that time. The company demands 17,800 baht in compensation.

The Administrative Court listened to the plaintiffs for over four hours yesterday and issued the protection order. It also told representatives of the ICT ministry to submit its explanation on the website closure in 30 days. According Mr Somkiat, the ICT official admitted to the court that they blocked the website for 20 hours from 7pm of Sept 29 to 3pm of Sept 30.
The official told the court that the closure was based on the Council for Democratic Reform's 5th order, which instructs the ICT to ban media disseminating information that could impact the coup makers, said Mr Somkiat.

The ministry told the court that they decided to allow the website again after receiving instructions from the CDR, now known as the Council for National Security, which demanded the ban be revoked. However, the official claimed the website had still been partially blocked as some internet providers were not told about the ministry's decision to revoke the ban. The court told the ministry to ensure the complete reopening of the website by Thursday. "This is not yet our victory. What we want from this court trial is that the ministry be punished for issuing an unjustified order that violated our freedom of expression," said Mr Somkiat. "If we win, the court order will help protect other online media too."

[Nekochan]

I am checking Midnight University website. It is now back to business!

Good articles in English as usual!

There is also an article about MR Thongnoi Thong Yai and Temasek.

[admin]

I thought the 2B forumers would be interested in this exchange about the apparent blocking of the CNN website last night... It's from a very Western perspective, but still interesting...

********
From: Freedom Against Censorship-Thailand

After sending emails most of the night when CNN was being blocked, I woke up this morning to find CNN back online, including Thaksin's interview and its transcript.

Our most plausible explanation for this is that a single person in MICT had a knee-jerk reaction on seeing this interview and wanted to avoid later reprimand.

In FACT, we think there is only one person, or a very small clique of people, at MICT who decides what gets blocked. We feel, not only is there no PUBLIC scrutiny, oversight or participation, there is no oversight within the Ministry itself.

We feel this is why 19sep.org keeps getting blocked again and again. MICT has a better-safe-than-sorry job-protection insurance policy.

Once the comments have been examined and discovered to be completely inoffensive, MICT does a quick retreat and orders the site unblocked.

This is the real face of censorship. Websites for Paul Handley's book, The King Never Smiles, published by Yale University Press, were blocked eight months before the book was published.

These sites could only have been blocked on the basis of the book's title because no one had read it yet--there were no advanced reading copies. (I know, I tried to get one.)

The book is still banned but, in fact, it contains as much praise for Nai Luang as frank discussion of his life, work and family. The book shows Nai Luang as a man who has had to walk a razor's edge his whole life and shows that he made the best decisions he could.

Can ANYONE think Thai people should be protected from reading this? (Anyone interested in this issue should read the reviews of The King Never Smiles by Giles Ungpakorn and Sulak Srivaraksa.)

The point is that NO ONE can really be The Official Censor of the Military Coup. As with all government everywhere, MICT is a top-heavy, ponderous bureaucracy; the right hand never minds the left. MICT seems to only exist in order to protect us from websites THEY decide. This leaves room for enormous error.

The reason question is: WHO MINDS THE MINDERS?

Here's the problem as I see it. Our FACT signers believe in NO censorship of anything.

However, if government chooses to implement ANY kind of censorship

1) There must be a clear mandate from Thai people that they WANT
censorship,

2) There must be public participation in the censorship process,

3) Clear and precise criteria and definitions must be used,

4) Any censorship must be subject to public and governmentt review, not be entirely arbitrary as at present,

5) The public must be easily able to ask questions of the censors,

6) There must be one person to take ultimate responsibility for the censorship, and

7) All this must be transparent and readily available to anyone interested

It would be way easier to have NO censorship and to trust us as human
beings to do the right thing. At present, we are treating Thai people as
children.

The hand-wringers among us have already started to ask, how can we really know it was MICT blocking? Yes, please some techies go and analyse traffic from the routers.

In our opinion, CNN was blocked so quickly that MICT could not have followed its normal practice of "informally" emailling all Thai ISPs "requesting" blocking. For such swift action, the blocking would have had to occur at CAT, Thailand's Internet gateway.

We don't often get to Chaeng Wattana but I found myself driving by the MICT compound last night. I suggest you do the same. Now that we have seen where that five BILLION baht goes, it's new inspiration to make it a public park!

********

On 1/16/07, X wrote:

I've just visited the CNN.com website from up here in Chiang Mai. It seems to be back up again. I did try accessing an hour ago when FACT's email came in, and at that time I couldn't get into the website. But now it's up. But given
everything that's plausible, we all don't know for how long. Is it possible that this is another case of the junta backing off another ill-conceived/trial-and-error strategy? Is there any way FACT can verify MICT blocking in the previous hours? Would love to fire off a statement and Alert on this, but what else do we know? Hopefully the more technically savvy in this mail list can suggest some ways to get a more definitive picture of what's been up with the CNN website the past hours.
Thanks.

********

On 1/16/07, X wrote:
Can someone confirm this? Hard to believe!

My company access internet on VPN, so I can not tell if some site is
block.

Thanks

[Wisarut]

The Connection between Thaksin and CNN:

200 Million Baht Deal with CNN on Elite Card Advetising without making Propered contract and withotu asking Parliament to Approve the Budget :eek:

http://www.manager.co.th/mgrWeekly/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9500000009512

[GWR]

Junta clamps down on websites

The year may well be the 21st century's version of George Orwell's "1984" for Thailand as the number of blocked websites since the coup has increased by 500 per cent as of January, according to the campaign group Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT).

The "blocklist", numbering 13,435 websites as of January 11, compared to 2,475 in October 13 last year, "shows a frightening increase in thought control and abrogation of civil liberties and human rights in Thailand," FACT said in a recent statement. "2007 may well be the 21st century's "1984" in Thailand."

Some anti-coup websites such as 19sep.org have been blocked six time since the coup took place last September.

"In the wake of September 19, many Thai Web discussion boards were blocked or ordered to self-censor, stifling freedom of expression and freedom of association," FACT stated.

It added that no identification of the blocked websites has been disclosed to the public nor do the involved government agencies disclose what criteria they use to block some sites.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30025620

[waerth]

For two days already I get the mict.gov screen with the king if I try to go to Youtube. Since when is this site a danger to the kingdom. I have True btw. Wonder if people with other ISP's also suffer from this.

Waerth

[ttaaee]

I can't access youtube for a few days now. I thought it was only for TOT's clients. :mad:

[waerth]

Well also for True's clients it seems :~( ..... its dirty brother with p in the name can still be reached though ....

W

[Jromerz]

If you leave the 'www' out, and just type youtube.com then it works

[ttaaee]

It does work! :eek:

Thanks :)

[waerth]

seems to work ........... strange .....

W

[Jromerz]

Looking around in youtube now (after getting in without typing those three letters in the URL) and its still got blocks up within the site. If you click on a member's profile then you get the mict page again, and some (or most?) clips don't seem viewable.
It must be all those cnn interview posts :p

[TRangsit]

Very disappointed to see Youtube blocked. A lot of people in Thailand used this for a lot of different purposes. I sure hope this gets reversed. Certainly not a serious danger to the kingdom. If this type of censorship keeps up, my Internet service will become useless...I might as well turn it off.

[mdechgan]

Does anyone know how to complain to the mict.go.th for blindly blocking sites? There has to be a way for people to complain about blocking wrong websites.

These people in the ministry of culture are so old and outdated I'm surprised they know how to use a computer. What is the mininstry of communication and technology doing blocking websites? They should promote communication and technology not ban it.

Who decides to block or not? The culture ministry or the communication ministry? These people are so confused. They ban sports sites and sites that the people vent their frustration, reprimand people that wear too sexy clothes while letting idiot information being released on newspapers and television. The stuff on the thairath newspaper is just ridiculous, its not news. Why don't they ban government lottery websites, ban the thai police website also because the police here are considered to be immoral and damaging to society. People here call them pigs because they do not serve or protect the public they just eat up what they can.

Atleast release the criteria for blocking the websites. If some information must be kept secret then block the page not the entire website. Blocking ubc channels during the coup such as cnn, msnbc, bbc. Removing MTV Asia because they showed to much non-thai music videos and replacing it with the looktung channel, now blocking youtube? Soon they will block all sites relating to meaningful information about Thailand. In North Korea all websites are banned. In Thailand its worse, now only junk disinformation is available. So they will block the 2bangkok forum for being to critical of the government and non-Thai. That means to get information we have to go to the sanook forum to talk.

I've noticed that some websites are blocked by the mict, some are blocked by the royal thai police. Some are blocked by the ruling government, does the ministry of culture block also? We are in a blockfest.

[TRangsit]

happy to report for at least for the time being, Youtube seems to be working for me again

[mdechgan]

I've noticed that if a website is blocked after awhile they become unblocked.
I don't hink they are manually blocking websites but using some kind of program or data logger that tracks websites. Or it could be that the isps update their cache dns servers and the websites find a new route via router.
I think they can block a website but they can't legally shut it down if the servers are located outside of the country.

[waerth]

So what you are saying is the reprieve could be just temporarily.

Waerth

[Nekochan]

That explains something! Few day ago 2BKK forum could not be accessed. The same thing happened to cnn.com, nocoup.com, pantip, and some websites. I thought it was related to itv.

No, it did not seem to be.

For yourtube.com, some said there were several clips which deem ... to be controversial issues for ultra conservative CNS, such as:

- The famous raid at Royal Plaza Hotel by Gen Sorayut (May 1992)
- Sonthi Lim claimed he was from "The Chakri Party"
- Sonthi Lim again...against Gen Prem
- Gen Sorayut meets the press (funny stuff when a guy dubbed the voice)
- Dancing Prem in Santa dress!
- Thaksin's news and etc.

I expect they still block Yale press!:(

I do not know how ICT did that. (how to block websites?) I think it is a sort of internet cluster bomb. It effects lots of websites.

ICT has the right guy, Mr.Sitthichai. He operates ICT the same way as he did to the Engineering Dept of KMITL.

Gen Sonthi did make a correct decision, put the right man to the right job.

*************

Please check this:

http://www.prospector.cz/Free-Internet-services/Web-proxy/

Select one proxy and search url:) I hope it works.

[Jromerz]

Once again there seems to be some block on YouTube, last night displaying the green MICT screen and today "This page cannot be displayed" :(

[TRangsit]

Once again there seems to be some block on YouTube, last night displaying the green MICT screen and today "This page cannot be displayed" :(

Also blocked for me....and this time it seems no easy circumventing by removing the www. I was hoping to upload some video tomorrow too.:(

Recently, I have had trouble with my Internet connection seeming very slow. A lot of pages take a very long time to load or can not. Not sure what is to blame for this. I have TOT DSL.

[Jromerz]

And the frontpage of 2bkk answers the question for us... Don't really know what to comment about that :mad: :mad:

[Nekochan]

There is a heated debate again in Prachatai. One question has been raised:

What will you choose? A man or the internet?

Several guys and I said "the internet". I do not have any hard feeling on anyone, but I think we have freedom to khow what has been going on in this world.

Free of charge. (3 baht-dialup modem):rolleyes:

I think ICT's act was a very imprudent one. The same standard was applied to Yale Press, Amazon.com, wikipedia and everything related to Paul Handley and his TKNS.

If they are wise, they should have requested Your Tube to remove the clip. It takes time, but it is a more civilized manner. This is a normal practice when illegal music vdos or clips appear on the web. ICT made a request, but they could not wait. Just blew the whole thing.

Consider that once Mr. ICT Sitthichai praised a new technological coorperation with ....err! IRAN. I could say....I rest my case!:o

[Wisarut]

Your Tube hs been BLOCKED due to their INSISTANCE NOT to remove video file that Insult His Majesty :eek: :eek: :eek:

[harrisben]

If Thailand wants to part of the internet it must accept that sometimes unfavourable things will appear on it. Instead of wasting mountains of tax-payer money pretending that it's possible to do something about it, why don't the MICT realise that the only way they could ever truly censor the net is to pull the plug entirely.

MICT has sent a strong message to Thai people: "You are too stupid to know what is right and wrong, so we will make the decision for you."

They could always start up their own network that contains only government sanctioned content. I'm sure China would be interested in connecting to it.

[Nekochan]

If you believe in a conspiracy theory....Is it possible that ICT posted the clip itself? No!, some said this in Prachatai.

There are several clips in Your Tube (as I posted earlier). This includes the clip that shows meeting at the palace after Sep 19. CNS does not like it, and Your Tube was blocked once or twice, temporarily.

ICT needs a good reason to block Your Tube (forever), an outrageous one.

If Spock were here, he could not agree more.

"Logically speaking, that is possible!":rolleyes:

It turns out to be wrong. The clip was originated in the US. Presumably, the culprit must be a 10 year-old boy who grows up in a potato farm somewhere in Idaho. (why Idaho?) So, CNS should dispatch an undercover unit, kidnap the boy and bring him to justice in Thailand.

The maximum punishment is 15 years multiplied by total downloads. let's say he's got 1,000 downloads.

That's 15,000 years in prison! Everyone should be happy. We lock him up forever!

[GWR]

Grim!?

Pantip's political page is banned

The government has shut down a popular political online chat room for national security reasons.

The shutdown took place just days after YouTube was blocked for videos deemed insulting to His Majesty the King.

The political page of Pantip.com was closed for national security reasons at the request of the Information and Communications Technology Ministry.

At the web page, a notice read, "The ministry has asked for the temporary closure of [the political page] Rajadamneon Room after it found several topics that might endanger national security.

Pantip is the most popular chat room in Thailand and the political pages often feature feisty debate about democracy, the military junta and the legitimacy of the coup that brought it to power last year.

The Nation


http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30031411

PANTIP.COM
Political chat site shut 'for security'

Govt pulls plug on online board; fuels YouTube censorship row


The government has shut down a popular online political chat room, citing national security as the reason.


The Information and Communications Technology Ministry pulled the plug on the Rajdamnoen Room chat site hosted by the pantip.com website, according to minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom yesterday.


He said it had been temporarily closed after the ministry decided several topics, or threads, undermined national security.


The order was effective yesterday.


The chat room hosts political discussions with a leaning towards remnants of the previous regime.


The ministry is embroiled in another freedom-of-speech row over its decision to bar access to the video-sharing website YouTube after it declined to remove a clip deemed insulting to His Majesty the King.


Sitthichai said the ministry would permit the pantip.com chat room to open again "after the political situation improves". He would not say when this would be but hinted it could be soon.


He added the ministry was sensitive towards messages or discussions on websites that bordered on insulting His Majesty the King and Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda.


He said the ministry asked prachatai.com and mthai.com to monitor its political web boards, which allegedly carried several threads discussing the monarchy.


Sitthichai will consult with acting national police chief General Seripisut Temiyavej about legal action against those submitting content deemed harmful to the country.


Pantip.com yesterday posted a notice stating the Rajdamnoen Room was closed for national security reasons at the request of the ministry.


"The web page is suspended as requested. We would like to ask members not to post [political messages] in other rooms, otherwise the entire site will be closed. Sorry for any inconvenience," the notice said.


Pantip.com is the most popular chat site in Thailand and its political pages often feature feisty debate about democracy, the junta and the legitimacy of the coup.


The website is considered to be pro-Thaksin Shinawatra and anti manager.co.th, the website of the Manager Group controlled by Sondhi Limthongkul.


The Rajdamnoen page was shut for two weeks shortly after the September coup that ousted Thaksin.


Pantip.com founder Wanchat Padungrat yesterday said he could not understand why the chat room had been closed. He added he monitored the content of Rajdamnoen Room and found no aggressive messages insulting the monarchy.


"The ministry does not specify which topics [endanger national security]. It may become sensitive for the junta. However, I am wondering why pantip.com is the only website being censored, while other political sites are untouched," said Wanchat.


Prachatai.com editor Chuwat Rerksirisuk said he and staff ensured the site carried no offensive material. It is prepared to cooperate with the ministry.


"We try to impose self-censorship to prevent libel actions by third persons," Chuwat said.


He disagreed with ministry censorship, saying it did nothing to help the situation.


He was unaware of content deemed offensive to the monarchy, although he noted the ministry informed the site of two threads considered insulting. "We moved quickly to delete them," he said.


He added that 99 per cent of political threads on Prachatai did not discuss the monarchy. The others are trying to use the monarchy and the Privy Council president as tools to shut the site down, he said.


Prachatai.com is a political website which opposes the coup. It attacked the Thaksin government, too.


Media lecturer Darunee Hiranrak said the ministry could shut websites considered insulting to the monarchy and a danger to national security. "Even some details on the web board are not truthful. It could arouse political turmoil," she said.


Last month, the computer-related crimes bill passed its first reading in the National Legislative Assembly and entered the committee stage ahead of its second reading.


The proposed legislation is considered draconian by free-speech advocates because it provides for the punishment of online users and Internet service providers.


The legislation allows for the closing of websites carrying content considered a threat to national security. Critics say the draft gives the government excessive control over the Internet.

Sucheera Pinijparakarn


The Nation


http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/04/09/headlines/headlines_30031456.php

[Nekochan]

I have not been in Pantip for years, I do not khow the real reason why it was blocked. I do not think Pantip is a place you can find comments related to Thai monarchy. Very odd, indeed. Some said about CNS' 12 M Baht budget. It has nothing to do with Your Tude ban.

By the way, Prachatai has been warned, too. (Prachatai is supported by Soros?)

ICT makes such a bad move declaring war against technology. A war that you will never win. You can only be run over. Time will tell.

So, Thailand wants to show the world how advanced she is, just turns out to a feudal society in disguise.

Grim? Not that grim. Wait until $1=70 Baht. That's grim!

[FarangBha]

Grim? Not that grim. Wait until $1=70 Baht. That's grim!

And when will this be?

[mdechgan]

Anybody have access to youtube?

It still seems to be blocked by that "piece of ****" green looking mict website.

How do you guys access the tube?
any webproxies you guys recommend?

Most of the webproxies I search need to pay or either just don't work because of some cookie.

[FarangBha]

Having just re-installed windows onto a larger HD, I'd appreciate help on getting round the censors also.

[Stephen Cleary]

Go on to Google and search for something like 'free download proxy'.

Many of these companies give a free trial for 7-14 days. Most work perfectly.

If you don't download one and just bypass to youtube via a proxy server the videos wont show and they are very slow.

Another one which works perfectly (usually) is Freegate - used by the Chinese.

Do a Google on Freegate and find the free download.

This program though has to be downloaded every time you turn on the computer though (for some strange reason). And when you turn on your com. you may have to go to 'Tools' > 'Connections' > Lan Settings and turn off the proxy - otherwise you cant use the Internet.

I have the CD Rom from FACT (Freedon against censorship Thailand) so if anyone wants a copy tell me.

[FarangBha]

cheers - have tried Google before but a bit hit and miss for something like this, hence looking for local recommendations.

[GWR]

Thailand to lift ban on YouTube

The Information and Communication Technology Ministry plans to ask the cabinet to waive a decree issued by the Council for National Security, earlier known as the Council for Democratic Reform, which has prohibited political websites, said ICT minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom.

The junta's decree, known as Order No. 5, which has banned political websites, will be lifted by the Surayud cabinet this week in order to make the people feel better now that the political situation has improved and a general election is to be held, he said.

The ICT minister who claimed to have banned only about 200 websites, 90 per cent of which featured pornography said that Thai-based internet users will again be allowed to access www.youtube.com, the popular video-sharing website, in particular, after it had been blocked for several months.

Google, the US-based parent corporation of YouTube, had offered to see to it that any lese majeste content will be kept off that website, he added.

The ministry in early April began blocking the popular video-sharing website after it showed a sequence of video clips considered insulting to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (TNA)

22:37 Jun 25, 2007

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_previous.php#

[mdechgan]

I couldn't wait for the mict.

I just downloaded ultrareach and it works great.

unfortunately the link is now blocked by the green monster.
(What else is new)

But if anyone would like to try I can email a copy. It is freeware and no ads.

[MBK]

Tor (http://tor.eff.org/) is what most people use. If the link doesn't work for you then simply google it.

It can be a bit slow on an old computer but you can always use it to visit sites that list alternative proxy settings as many sites dealing in proxies get blocked themselves. It seems half of the online community in Thailand uses it. :D

If you can get a link from the You Tube site you can then go to Keep Vid (http://keepvid.com/lite/) and enter the link there to download it, might be quicker for some people.

[Chi Man]

I have posted ultrasurf to my MediaFire storage site for anyone to download. Click the link below to get it. Ultrasurf is a lot faster than Tor and is quite good at letting you view YouTube videos. Great program! http://www.mediafire.com/?3zwfiwm5msq

[Stephen Cleary]

Download this, it's been working perfectly for me for the last month.

You'll be viewing YouTube in no time.

http://www.download.com/3000-20-10415391.html

[GWR]

As soon as I acted on Stephen's post I found that http://www.youtube.com/ had already been unblocked. Frontpage http://www.2bangkok.com has received numerous messages to that effect.

[admin]

Some are speculating that TOT accidentally unblocked it... and there is no order to unblock it after all.

[Stephen Cleary]

YouTube for me has been working for me in Suphanburi since yesterday afternoon. I use TT&T.

I just wish that YouTube would take off that pathetic video that led to the bother in the first place. It's still friggin there.
The US, Australian and Chinese govts have had videos deleted - so, i guess it's time for YouTube to finally delete that insulting one about The King.

[MBK]

All working once more :D

[waerth]

I am with True and it is still blocked here!

Waerth

[Shakakoz]

FWIW, I use "Circumventor" available at http://www.peacefire.org/ to create my own proxy server on my computer at home (in Canada) so that I don't get blocked when travelling. It wasn't difficult at all to set up, and it is extremely unlike that I will generate enough traffic for anyone to take notice and block me.

Of course, if you actualy live here, this isn't an option for you, but Peacefire does share proxy servers that will stay up for a few days before the bureaucrats take notice and block them. You can sign up on their mailing list, and they will email you a new link every few days - the current one is www.sidewalksoup.com

There are so many options available now, but having my own proxy server at home works best for me. Of course, it might just be a matter of time before Peacefire itself gets blocked, so it behooves you to get on the mailing list early, if you desire.

- Martin

[Chi Man]

Here's a link to my MediaFire site where I have posted the new version of Ultrasurf. The new one is 8.4. http://www.mediafire.com/?e0mujsfdmzb

[Chi Man]

Here's my link to the latest version of Tor on my MediaFire site. Please pass these links to Ultrasurf and Tor to your friends (get the e-mail link from Ultrasurf or mail the URLs posted here). The more people who can get around the stupid censors the better. To get the complete Tor package (version 0.0.13 of Vidalia and 0.1.2.16 of Tor + Privoxy + Torbutton for Firefox), follow this link: http://www.mediafire.com/?1mywyuzttoh

[Chi Man]

Just in case you missed the links I posted for the youtube discussion, here are my MediaFire links so you can get ultrasurf and tor and get around the censors. Pass the links to everyone who might be interested.

Tor (latest version Vidalia 0.0.13, Tor 0.1.2.16 + Privoxy + Torbutton) http://www.mediafire.com/?1mywyuzttoh

Ultrasurf 8.4 (be sure you get this version, 8.4, because 8.3 had some problems). 8.4 works great. http://www.mediafire.com/?e0mujsfdmzb

[Stephen Cleary]

Thanks a lot, great download. Unlike others, i found that Ultrasurf doesn't have any flaws. Works every time.

I tried to download a couple of videos on to YouTube yesterday but then i get a Error 502 warning. I did a Google search on it and it seems that YouTube won't download my video as i am sending it from an unknown IP/Proxy. Any idea how to get around this? Thanks.

[Chi Man]

Ultrasurf has put out yet another update. Here's the link to my MediaFire account to download Ultrasurf 8.5. I hope this is the last one for a while. They've been having some issues with logging on to the service, but they seemed to have ironed out the problems with 8.5.

http://www.mediafire.com/?9lpdmlgn2c4

Stephen, when you say your tried to "download" some videos to youtube, you mean that you tried to upload them or give them to youtube, right? I've never had problems getting videos from youtube, but I never even tried to upload videos using ultrasurf, so I don't know if youtube tries to block anonymous uploads. Sorry!

[GWR]

Urgent: Youtube is back


The Information and Communications Technology Ministry has lifted ban on http://www.Youtube.com

The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30047150

[GWR]

Ban on YouTube lifted after deal
Website to block clips offensive to Thais or that break Thai law
Published on August 31, 2007

The government yesterday lifted its ban on the YouTube website after the site's management agreed to block any video clips deemed offensive to Thai people or those that violate Thai law.

Information and Communications Technology Minister Sitthichai Pookai-yaudom said local Internet surfers would now be able to access the YouTube site, which has been banned since April 3.

This follows an agreement between the Ministry of ICT and YouTube that the site would curb any clips which have contents considered an affront to Thai people or those that violate the Kingdom's laws.

Sitthichai said YouTube had just finished creating a program that would block sensitive video clips from being accessed from Thai Internet service providers (ISPs).

Earlier this year, the Ministry of ICT tried to persuade the YouTube management into removing several video clips that mocked the Thai monarchy. However, the website insisted on keeping those clips, arguing that its homepage was a global forum of freedom of expression.

YouTube, now controlled by Google, allows people to post and share video clips, and is a highly popular website.

The controversy sparked off earlier this year when a person from the US, using the pseudonym "Paddidda", posted several video clips insulting the Thai monarchy. This happened when the political situation in Thailand was tense, with an undercurrent of confrontation between supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and those who backed the military regime.

After a series of futile negotiations with YouTube to withdraw the clips, the Ministry of ICT decided to ban the site altogether, prompting accusations from the international media that the military regime was taking Thailand to times past with stringent censorship laws.

It was not until May 10 that 'Paddidda' issued an apology through YouTube. At that time there were reports that the Ministry of ICT would soon lift the ban, but it was not until YouTube had come up with software to block provocative clips, that the ministry agreed to finally make the site available in Thailand.

Sitthichai said yesterday the ministry had nothing to do with the apologies to the Thai King and Thai people loaded onto the YouTube website.

"YouTube has taken care of the matter by itself," he said.

On May 10, 'Silpajarun', a Thai woman, assisted 'Paddidda' by posting a Thai version of the apology. 'Silpajarun' was quick to add that she was in no way related to 'Paddidda'.

'Paddidda', a Thaksin fan, gave political motivation as the reason for her offensive videos. 'Silpajarun' quoted 'Paddidda' as saying: "I will work for Thaksin no more. Yes, I might have achieved nothing, but it is better than to be hated forever."

The YouTube account in the name of 'Paddidda' and the disrespectful videos have been deleted from the website.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/31/headlines/headlines_30047192.php

[GWR]

Quite an epic really! Definitely worth viewing! See link below.

On May 10, 'Silpajarun', a Thai woman, assisted 'Paddidda' by posting a Thai version of the apology. 'Silpajarun' was quick to add that she was in no way related to 'Paddidda'.

'Paddidda', a Thaksin fan, gave political motivation as the reason for her offensive videos. 'Silpajarun' quoted 'Paddidda' as saying: "I will work for Thaksin no more. Yes, I might have achieved nothing, but it is better than to be hated forever."

The YouTube account in the name of 'Paddidda' and the disrespectful videos have been deleted from the website.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/31/headlines/headlines_30047192.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GehITIJc8p8

Paddidda/Paddiddaa is trying to apologize for the first video which insulted Thailand (not only the King).

Thanks, and remember, no more "Anti" or "Pro" Thaksin...just Thai people helping each other make the country improve and fulfill its potential.

I have no idea who Paddidda really is so please don't ask. We communicated only through youtube.

If Thai people love and wish to honor the king, then they will continue his work forever.

New Constitution 2007
Democratic Elections 2007
It's up to the people now!

[GWR]

http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=666&Itemid=31

Thailand’s Net Nannies

Daniel Ten Kate
30 August 2007
Offended by some content on YouTube and other sites, Thailand’s censors hope Thais will accept a sanitized alternative.

Since the military government has banned popular video-sharing websites Veoh, Metacafe and others because users posted videos deemed offensive to the royal family, where can Thailand's netizens turn for video clips?

On Aug. 30, YouTube agreed to remove all "insensitive" videos and the government reached agreed to unblock the site. Veoh, Metacafe and a site called Downthisvideo are all still blocked.

But in the meantime, Thailand has come back with SiamTube, a website that delivers all the movie previews, flapping fat stomachs and gyrating dancers of those other sites with no nasty rumors about the royal family or insults to the monarchy.

http://www.siamtube.com/

The website was launched a few months ago — around the time YouTube was banned — by half-Thai, half-British actress and cover girl Sonia Couling and several business partners. The Eurasian model told local press SiamTube was conceived before YouTube got blocked, but implied that it wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

“Only YouTube is our direct competitor, so that is our strength because right now that website is still closed so this is a good chance for us,” she told the Thai-language publication Biz Week.

Indeed, given Sonia’s partners in developing the site, it’s unlikely that any offensive material would unwittingly sneak in. All the videos on the site now that refer to the country’s revered king are akin to the worshipful clips shown before any cinema screening in Thailand.

SiamTube was developed in conjunction with Mustang Technologies, an American software development firm with Board of Investment privileges that once received a visit from Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

“Obviously we are very sensitive to not upset the powers that be,” said John Kathrein, Mustang’s chief technology officer. “It just shows that YouTube doesn’t understand the love the Thai people have for the king.”

SiamTube was designed “to carve out a niche with local content,” Kathrein said, but added that the site would still uphold free speech.

“If it’s not insulting to His Majesty, or not insulting to the monarchy, then we will keep the video,” he said. “Anything that insults His Majesty the King, I wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of it. Even if it’s a gray area, it’s not worth upsetting people.”

Vietnamese company iWay, which helped Mustang build the site, said the partnership would look to develop similar websites in Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia—countries not exactly hailed for freedom of expression.

“We hope they will bring to visitors the best quality in the most conformable [sic] to their culture, politics, network infrastructure, hobbies and habits,” the company said in a statement on its website. Yet even as a market develops to serve governments who want to put a lid on political speech, the questions concerning how to protect both free speech and Thailand’s monarchy have still not been dealt with, technologically or politically. This allows the government free reign to ban anything it deems offensive to either the monarchy or national security — two catchall categories that could be stretched to mean just about anything.

Veoh, a site similar to YouTube, was blocked earlier this month after a user posted a risque personal video purportedly of the Thai Royal Family ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom has said that YouTube would be unblocked once Thailand’s internet service providers (ISPs) have installed cache engines that allow officials to block individual URLs instead of entire websites. Supposedly this was going to happen a month ago, but still today visitors get this Thai-language message when clicking on YouTube, Veoh or Metacafe: “Sorry [state telecom company] TOT as an organization of Thailand has seized the connection of this website due to certain content, messages and images that are inappropriate that have had a tremendous impact on the hearts of Thai people.”

Apparently the Thai people are unable to look after their own hearts by simply not clicking on YouTube, so the Bangkok nannies will do it for them. Back in April when the site was first banned because of a crude clip that insulted the king with all manner of indignities, YouTube offered to “educate” Thai authorities about how to block certain videos. “It’s up to the Thailand government to decide whether to block specific videos, but we would rather that than have them block the entire site,” YouTube spokeswoman Julie Supan told Agence France-Presse at the time.

A senior ICT Ministry official said in an interview Monday that YouTube should come back online for Thai users “within this week. We are working with the private sector and YouTube headquarters.”

Although he wouldn’t disclose exactly how the situation would be resolved, he said: “YouTube cannot allow certain videos with the royal family because it’s against the right of privacy. The king is not a public person under the law. YouTube has also banned the video of [British princess] Diana’s car crash because it was private.”

“Frankly the status of the king doesn’t compare with the status of the US president; it’s different,” he added. “Someone very far from Thailand doesn’t understand, but we try to explain it to them.”

A compromise seems inevitable as fighting the web is almost surely a losing battle. Miscreants who want to see offensive videos can certainly do so through proxy servers or new video-sharing sites that pop up all the time. Indeed, blocking websites often simply draws attention to the banned videos, and the most lurid material often passes hand-to-hand aroundBangkok anyway.

The problem that free-speech advocates have is that YouTube’s closure comes amid a climate of suppression that has persisted since the military deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup last September. While Thaksin also stifled the media through heavy-handed libel lawsuits, corporate maneuvers and withdrawing advertising dollars of his family’s firms to unfriendly papers, the new government has done nothing to improve media freedom.

Although the new constitution supposedly increases media freedoms, eight laws sitting before the military-appointed National Legislative Assembly will actually undermine the guarantees in the new charter, Joel Simon and Shawn Crispin of the Committee to Protect Journalists wrote in The Nation newspaper earlier this month.

“The government’s new willingness to openly censor Internet-posted news suddenly puts Thailand in league with Asia’s more notorious media freedom violators, including the likes of China, Vietnam and Burma,” they wrote. “More broadly, it shows how the application of laws intended to protect the honor of Thailand’s widely revered monarch can have a sweeping and adverse impact on freedom of expression. With YouTube blocked, the Thai people are cut off from a vital new tool of global communication.”

Supinya Klangnarong, secretary-general of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform, said in an interview that the government had yet to distinguish between sites that are truly offensive to the monarchy and those that express legitimate political opposition.

“The media environment is not better than under Thaksin; it’s worse,” said Supinya, who suffered first-hand when Thaksin’s Shin Corp leveled a 400-million-baht libel lawsuit against her — a case she eventually won.

“Thaksin tried to control things too much, but we were able to fight back,” she said. “But under this government when you try to fight back they say you don’t love the nation, don’t love the king, and you are a bad person. They scare people from upholding these rights, which deeply affects the country’s democracy.”

[Chi Man]

The idiot behind blocking YouTube is resigning. YouTube is now (somewhat) unblocked. Things are looking a bit better. However, lots of great sites are still blocked by the BlockHeads, including Metacafe, Veoh, and others. We need ways around censorship as much now as ever.

Click on the links below to download the latest versions of Ultrasurf and Tor from my MediaFire page and pound the BlockHeads into a round hole.

Ultrasurf 8.6: http://www.mediafire.com/?0xllzeggfb2

Tor 0.1.2.17 with Vidalia: http://www.mediafire.com/?0nvdhy0wdtw

Enjoy freedom!

[mdechgan]

There is no reason for censorship unless some people have something to hide.
However the people in Thailand are relatively new towards open media after years of dictatorship. Many still use blind judgement and believe anything that someone or someonelse says like teachers, monks, etc.

Example: I see and hear many people praying the "na mo tha sa" prayer yet don't even now what it means.
Many don't even know what the meaning of the national anthem's lyrics.

[Chi Man]

Good point. I have asked some Thais about various censorship issues, and I often get the surprising answer that one of the government's roles and responsibilities is to "protect" people from bad ideas and harmful content. They're a little stumped when I ask them why they believe the government has this responsibility. "Most people are stupid and easily led astray" seems to be the catch-all answer. Led astray to where????

[GWR]

The following probably indicates that the pro-himself website hi-thaksin.net will be blocked at some point before the General Election:

EC asks for probe into Thaksin website

(BangkokPost.com)
Related agencies are being pressured by Election Commission (EC) member Sodsri Sattiyatham to speed up an investigation into the hi-thaksin.net website, formed by staunch supporters of the ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The investigation was ordered after People Power party (PPP) leader Samak Sundaravej recently claimed through the website that Mr Thaksin had already returned to Thailand.

Mr Thaksin is currently in self-imposed exile in London after he was forced from power in a military-backed coup in September 2006.

“These kinds of claims could have a drastic affect on national security,” Sodsri warned. “The EC has no authority to close down the website but I urge those who do to seriously consider the appropriateness of the site’s content.”

Over at the PPP camp, promises are already being thrown around to make Mr Thaksin the party’s chairman of the advisory board if PPP won the election.

“The EC has already advised all 111 former Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai party executives on what should and should not be done. The EC has full authority to order the dissolution of any party found to have violated the law," Mrs Sodsri said.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=124271

The Government's Public Relations Department newssite suggests that the EC has rather stronger intentions:

06 December 2007
EC calls for closure of hi-thaksin.net

The Election Commission (EC) requests relevant units to close down www.hi-thaksin.net as its content is deemed inappropriate and may stir repercussions on national security.

Election Commissioner Sodsri Sattayathum (สดศรี สัตยธรรม) says EC has no mandate to close down the website and voices strong disagreement with the content which contains speeches of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

As for the People Power Party’s announcement that it will appoint Mr Thaksin as advisor if elected as the government, Mrs Sodsri says EC has already informed the party of the limitations of the disbanded 111 TRT executives. She affirms EC has the power to dissolve political parties even if the new government is formed.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter05
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255012060014

[Wisarut]

Now, ICT has finally blocked Hi-Thaksin website ....

Furthermore Thaksin's henchmen in PPP are distributing VCDs tellign thsoe bumpkins in Isan that, PPP is just anotehr name of TRT ... with Thaksin's Speech .... by rquest fro other parties ....

So, EC has pointed out that thsoe 111 TRT men in PPP including the fugitive Thaksin are violating the 5-year political banishment .... a risk for anotehr 5-year Banishment alogn with Prison terms ....

ICT Ministry blocks pro-Thaksin website

(BangkokPost.com) - Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry blocked the pro-Thaksin Shinawatra website www.hi-thaksin.net on Friday after it carried messages saying that a vote for the People Power party (PPP) is synonymous to voting for the ousted premier.

The website was inaccessible as of Friday afternoon. The site still worked on Thursday.

The block came a day after the Election Commission urged the ICT Ministry to ban the site if it continued to post messages that could reignite social divisions between pro- and con-Thaksin groups.

The website, set up by supporters of Mr Thaksin, said people would get Mr Thaksin as leader if they vote for PPP leader Samak Sundaravej. Every vote for PPP would help Mr Thaksin home safely.

It also claimed that if people vote for the Democrats, they would get controversial publisher Sondhi Limthongkul, a key member of the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which led mass rallies against the Thaksin regime las year.


Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=124299

[GWR]

Now, ICT has finally blocked Hi-Thaksin website ....
Furthermore Thaksin's henchmen in PPP are distributing VCDs tellign thsoe bumpkins in Isan that, PPP is just anotehr name of TRT ... with Thaksin's Speech .... by rquest fro other parties ....
So, EC has pointed out that thsoe 111 TRT men in PPP including the fugitive Thaksin are violating the 5-year political banishment .... a risk for anotehr 5-year Banishment alogn with Prison terms ....
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=124299

Threat of legal action over Thaksin website

MONGKOL BANGPRAPA

Election commissioner Sodsri Sattayatham has threatened to take legal action against the webmaster of the hi-thaksin.net site, allegedly for accusing her of taking sides with a political party.

''I don't know what the intention of the website is,'' said Mrs Sodsri. ''As an election commissioner, I have never blamed any party.

''If one does wrong, I will make a literal reference. Do not mention any personal issues, or it can be defamation. I have never referred to the People Power party [PPP].''

The website, set up by supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said people would get Mr Thaksin as leader if they vote for PPP leader Samak Sundaravej. Every vote for the PPP would help get Mr Thaksin home safely, the site says. Many former Thai Rak Thai members have joined the PPP.

Mrs Sodsri denied reports that she had ordered the website blocked. If the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry closed it, that is because the ministry has seen that its content could cause disunity, she said.

Mrs Sodsri also said she was upset by some unfair criticism of her and the Election Commission (EC). Election commissioners are under a lot of pressure and may stop taking action against political parties in connection with the Dec 23 election and let the parties in conflict fight their battles in the courts, she said.

Mrs Sodsri said the EC was facing heavy pressure as it was caught in the middle between the Council for National Security and the PPP. She said she was also concerned about the national situation after the general election.

PPP secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee insisted yesterday that his party had nothing to do with the hi-thaksin.net site. Mr Surapong also denied he knew the webmaster. He said it was the duty of officials concerned to find the truth.

Although hi-thaksin.net supports the PPP, it should focus on the party's good policies instead of posting any content that might backfire on the party, said Mr Surapong, who was in government with the now-disbanded Thai Rak Thai party of deposed prime minister Thaksin.

Although hi-thaksin.net was inaccessible yesterday, ICT inspector-general Thaneerat Siripachana denied his ministry had blocked it. He said if too many people tried to access it at the same time the heavy traffic could automatically make the site shut down.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=124305

[GWR]

Don’t Try This At Home: NTN’s Non-Guide To Circumventing Censorship
The following steps should NOT be taken by those attempting to bypass the Ministry of Communication and Information’s blocking of websites

It is ILLEGAL to use this guide to quickly and easily access the world of free information on the internet. NTN provides this information in the public interest as a clear example of what not to do, right now.

1. DO NOT log onto to www.torproject.org
2. DO NOT download the latest package on this page: http://torproject.org/download.html.en.
3. DO NOT open the file, which will automatically install all the software you need.
4. DO NOT notice that a small icon now appears in your system tray, shaped like a small onion.
5. DO NOT right-click the onion and select “Start” from the pop-up menu.
6. DO NOT use the same menu to select “Message List” to see the Tor system slowly develop an anonymizing network.
7. Once its tells you “A circuit has been built” DO NOT then enjoy safe, censorship-free surfing to banned sites such as YouTube and MindightUniversity.
8. For even greater convenience, DO NOT download Mozilla Firefox, a superior web browser program available free at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/ , and DO NOT then download an add-on called “Tor Button” here at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2275 that allows you to switch Tor on and off easily while browsing.
9. If you do successfully download Tor, DO NOT keep a copy of the downloaded installation file which can be easily emailed as an attachment to all your friends or distributed on a CD-ROM or flash keychain drive.
10. If the Tor download page is blocked, DO NOT seek out other similar services and software such as these: http://freenetproject.org/ or http://www.freehaven.net/ or http://marabunta.laotracara.com/english.php.
11. If these services are not available, DO NOT do a Google Search for “anonymizer” or anonymity networks” and DO NOT learn more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Anonymity_networks.
12. And while you’re at it, DO NOT use Bit Torrent to download massive amounts of free CD-quality music or high-definition, full-length, titillating pornography.
13. Obey all laws and guidelines from the Ministry of Communications Information.
http://www.notthenation.com/pages/news/getnews.php?id=449

[GWR]

More muddle-headed thinking?:

ICT to ‘hack & crack' foreign websites offensive to Thai supreme institution
Prachatai
17 March 2008
News
The Information and Communications Technology Ministry is to ‘hack and crack' foreign websites deemed offensive to Thailand's revered institutions.

A March 15 report in Krungthep Turakij newspaper (www.bangkokbiznews.com) quoted a source at the ICT that the ministry could pursue legal proceedings only with websites registered in Thailand, and is now planning a ‘hack and crack' programme to hack offensive websites hosted abroad and delete their contents, because the legal process would take too long.

"This approach may be somewhat illegal, but sometimes it might be worth it, if [the websites] are really unacceptable," the source said.

One website registered abroad has been found to advertise merchandise including calendars, dolls, bags, hats, glasses, watches, trousers and underwear, all with a logo of the Buddha meditating on a lotus, with the face of a dog. It was reported to have upset many Buddhists.

On March 14, ICT Minister Mun Patanotai said that he had called a meeting of investigators from the Department of Special Investigation, and Crime Suppression Division, and the ‘ICT cops'. ICT Minister's Secretary Sarawuth Petchpanomporn was assigned to coordinate the collection of evidence and ask the courts to block websites and prosecute owners who, if inside the country, are subject to fines and imprisonment under the 2007 Computer Crime Act.

If the offence is committed abroad, the Minister admitted that there were difficulties. However, the Ministry has so far asked for cooperation from the authorities in each country or website administrators themselves, who have cooperated in solving the problems or delete offensive material, particularly concerning Thailand's ‘supreme institution'.

"The ministry has 30 so-called ICT cops, so it is difficult to keep a thorough watch. We still have to rely on net surfers or webmasters to help, to solve the problem or notify the ministry of any irregularities," Man said.

Acting Director Booncherd Kittitharangkul of the Office of National Buddhism's Technology Centre said that on hearing the news he felt uneasy, and believed that it upset all Buddhists across the country.

The Technology Centre has found that the website has its server in California, USA, and the centre has twice asked the ICT Ministry in writing to shut down the website, but it is still online. The centre has also asked the Foreign Ministry's Information Department to address the problem through diplomatic means.

"If within one month the problem is still not solved, I will ask for cooperation from ‘internet cop' Pol Col Yanapol Yangyuen, Commander of Office of Technology and Information Cases under the Department of Special Investigation, to shut it down," said Booncherd. He added that his centre has cooperated with relevant agencies in shutting down 5 similar websites which made commercial use of Buddhist symbols.

Translated by Ponglert Pongwanan
http://www.prachatai.com/english/news.php?id=565

Thai language source:
http://www.prachatai.com/05web/th/home/11509