Thai webmaster may get 20 years for others' posts

[pitsch]

It can be really dangerous to be a webmaster (or moderator of a forum?) in Thailand:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 446D04.DTL

[buksida]

Very ... which is why we cannot allow any discussion whatsoever on the subject on here.

The forum gets hammered for it, not the person who posted.

[kendo]

I know not forum connected but didn't a Swiss man get banged up for defacing a picture on a non drinking day a few years ago.

Kendo.

[GLCQuantum]

^ Slightly different scenario there Kendo

[kendo]

Yeah but my point is showing disrespect can get you banged up, there country there colture respect it at all times, it's easy for some muppet to hide behind a keyboard he won't be accountable.
The forum owner will be.

Kendo.

[bapak]

The Criminal Court today adjourned its reading of the verdict in the case against the webmaster of Prachatai news website to May 30.

The court reasoned that the presiding judges needed to study a lot of documents.

I suspect that it may due to "other reasons".

[kendo]

A big brown fat envelope full of documents.

Kendo

[richard]

Yes openly insulting the monarchy should be dealt with appropriately but, Admin please clarify your position?

Are you running a business governed by rules that prohibit certain actions?

I think forum members are unaware of the rules and regs

[Lev]

Yes openly insulting the monarchy should be dealt with appropriately but, Admin please clarify your position?

Are you running a business governed by rules that prohibit certain actions?

I think forum members are unaware of the rules and regs

Where are you going with this line of questioning richard? This forum operates in accordance with the laws of Thailand.

The compulsory terms and conditions must be accepted to complete registration to this forum, there are plenty of links to them if members wish to remind themselves.

Discussion on Thai monarchy is strictly forbidden, as is any content in violation of the Computer Crime Act BE2550.

[dtaai-maai]

There's nothing like an intelligent question, and that was... etc.

[richard]

LEV

My point is despite people all over the globe doing the accept T/Cs and posting on the forum, are you and your staff liable for those who violate T/C's?. Some of these guys have no idea of the sensitivities of living in a different country with different rules and customs and let's face it, most of us rarely read T/C's. We just hit the accept button

I know the rules but how many do?

[Lev]

As we have seen in the article in the OP it is rather unfair that the forum/website owners will take the fall for the postings of anonymous internet users which is why our moderators are on the ball.

[Takiap]

A big brown fat envelope full of documents.

Kendo

No, I seriously doubt it. I think it's more a matter of the world is watching.

[Spitfire]

The Internet is getting less free all the time.

It is hardly surprising that it's getting tighter everywhere now as the modern day power-brokers in whatever country have wisened-up to just how powerful the net is and the problems it can cause.

It the new control-freakery and threats are 'par-for-the-course' in many countries for those that wish to speak their minds.

However, if you want to have a business and have a public profile then you must do as the law stipulates despite it's shortcomings.......period.

[buksida]

Google issued a stark warning on Wednesday about internet freedom in Thailand after webmaster Chiranuch Premchaiporn was found guilty of failing to speedily delete an offensive post from the former Prachatai website forum.

Several human rights groups also commented on the case.

In a rare and outspoken intervention, Google said Ms Chiranuch's sentence had set a legal precedent which cramps companies hosting internet platforms and poses a danger to web users.

"Today's guilty verdict for something somebody else wrote on her website is a serious threat to the future of the internet in Thailand," a Google spokesman said in an emailed statement.

"Telephone companies are not penalised for things people say on the phone and responsible website owners should not be punished for comments users post on their sites."

Ms Chiranuch was charged over 10 comments posted on Prachatai in 2008.

Critics say charges brought under Thailand's tough royal defamation laws are often politically motivated and amount to an assault on free speech.

The internet has become one of the key battlegrounds for Thailand's complex political debates, with social networks surging in popularity over the last several years as the opposing factions rose to prominence.

Tens of thousands of web pages have been removed from the internet in recent years from for allegedly insulting the monarchy.

David Streckfuss, an independent analyst based in Thailand, said by finding her guilty the court had fired a warning shot to web users to say there will be "no more leeway" to what can be said online.

Scrutiny of the law has intensified since the death of 62-year-old Ampon "Uncle SMS" Tangnoppakul earlier this month while serving a 20-year sentence for committing lese majeste. The death of "Ah Kong" has been noted at several protests.

On Tuesday, a petition signed by almost 27,000 people urging reform of the lese majeste law was submitted to parliament.

Amnesty International researcher Benjamin Zawacki welcomed the suspension of Ms Chiranuch's jail term, but said the guilty verdict still infringed on freedom of expression.

"International media corporations need to sit up and take notice. Even 'liking' something on Facebook could have legal implications," he said.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement that Wednesday's conviction had "added to a climate of fear and self-censorship in Thailand's media" and marked a "new low in Thailand's intolerance of free speech."

Source: Bangkok Post