Computer crime law arrests creating a climate of fear

It was another blow for Thailand that the draconian Computer Act - passed in 2007 under the military-appointed National Legislative Assembly - can target people as part of a state-censorship system, while those who refuse to be silenced are threatened with jail. In police eyes, Chiranuch apparently didn't do a good enough job of censoring posts on her site, so last Friday they raided her office.

Though she was granted bail, the action was excessive, given that police used to ring Chiranuch to ask for her cooperation in the past.

Thailand is moving towards the Chinese model of Internet censorship, especially on the monarchy issue. Internet cafes are now required under this law to have users type their ID information before opening a computer. More than 2,300 websites have been blocked, with more to come.

Such a trend instils fear in many Internet users, mostly the younger generation, about the future of Thailand. It also risks pushing forces critical or against the monarchy further underground. They might resort to more clandestine or erratic operations on other websites, or even print leaflets and distribute them on busy streets like Silom, as has been done in the past.

The recent action is like putting a sign up forbidding people not to urinate when there's not enough public toilets to alleviate the call of nature. Such signs exist at Central Lat Phrao Department Store on the side of its building, which this writer happened to pass recently. It stated: "Urinating in the area is forbidden", and yet the place smells like a urinal. This may provide some sort of analogy to the current crackdown. They are trying to achieve the impossible, leading people to ask what it means if they can "only" praise the monarchy.

At present, the authorities and pro-monarchist groups such as the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are having a hard time distinguishing remarks critical of the monarchical institution from those which are outright defamatory.

The Student Federation of Thailand planned to stage a protest in defence of freedom of expression and prachatai.com this afternoon, only to pull back at the last minute for fear of being linked to anti-monarchist groups or facing a crackdown by authorities. So the culture of fear is real in Thailand.

Readers be warned: This writer is partial, as I contribute pro bono commentaries to prachatai.com. But no matter what one may think of that website, a loss of public space where diverse views can be posted, be it pro or against the monarchy, pro or against Thaksin Shinawatra, is to be mourned. We are in an era when the Thai media and websites have become so politicised they mostly only allow views deemed politically fit to be published or posted. So if one reads ASTV Manager Daily newspaper, which is the PAD's mouthpiece, one only sees pro-royalist and anti-Thaksin letters to the editors being posted. The opposite is true with the pro-Thaksin Prachatouch papers (not to be confused with prachatai.com).

Prachatai.com, which is a not-for-profit newspaper, is a rare animal that acts as an open forum for debate, deliberation and argument - and it's now targeted by people who believe that those who think differently are a threat or an enemy.

There can be no dialogue or learning, not to mention democracy, when public debate is banned and when the public are treated like juveniles who can't read and think for themselves.

Chiranuch serves as a mediator of such political intercourse. In a sane society, she should be commended. By no means does she deserve to be treated by the authorities this way, especially when the government claims to be both democratic and in favour of press freedom.

People should stop thinking about what the international community may think or about how the issue affects the "image" of Thailand - because it's more worrying to see such an open arena being threatened and more worrying to think about whatever is left of the intellectual life of Thailand.