Ragnarok the Blocktopus's ICTentacles

[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...s_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...s_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.ph...=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/topstorie....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/newsenglis...d=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_....php?id=124299

[GWR]

Originally Posted by 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 ....
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_....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/topstorie....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/Categor...ymity_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/ne...ews.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

[GWR]

http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2008/12...locktopus.html

Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Blocktopus-Website
[Which is probably still blocked]

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_76xUgRgjZY...us+website.jpg]

Posted by Heng Soy

[Wisarut]

Khun Ranongrat said her men at ICT has shut down at least 2300 Anti-Monarchy Websites and Weblogs
http://www.manager.co.th/CyberBiz/Vi...=9520000000485

[GWR]

Originally Posted by Wisarut

Khun Ranongrat said her men at ICT has shut down at least 2300 Anti-Monarchy Websites and Weblogs
http://www.manager.co.th/CyberBiz/Vi...=9520000000485

The Thought Police are at it again. Such a waste of resources. Perhaps they would be better employed tackling real criminals who have an impact on us all. For just one example:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bang...newpost&t=3662

Thailand have blocked 2,300 websites for insulting monarchy : ICT
By The Nation

Thai authorities have blocked 2,300 websites for allegedly insulting monarchy and are waiting for court approval to take action on another 400 websites.
Information and Communication Minister Ranongruk Suwanchawee said, "Thai authorities have blocked over 2,300 websites. We are preparing to ask for court approval to shut down an additional 400 sites."

She said in a press release posted on the ministry's website that the blocking of websites that disseminate content and photos which insult the monarchy is one of the government's crucial policies.

She added that her ministry will seek law amendment which will increase powers of ICT officials as soon as parliament reopens.

The ministry had spent Bt45 million to buy equipment for a round-the-clock "war room" targeting inappropriate web sites.

The ministry will ask cooperation from ministries of justice, interior and defence to prosecute violators, who face imprisonment and a fine for breaking the law, the minister said.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009...l_30092534.php

[Wisarut]

MICT has officially Blocked Sacrava website (http://sacrava.blogspot.com) since 20 December 2008.

http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2009/01...locked-in.html