Minister of Information and Communications Technology Juti Krairiksh said that on 18 Oct he invited 17 internet service providers (ISPs) to a meeting to ask for their cooperation in blocking improper websites which were found to have been increasing in number, over 82% of them being offensive against the monarchy containing doctored images.  Only 7 ISPs showed up at the meeting.

The cause of the increase of such websites has yet to be determined, the Minister said.

The latest number of websites closed or blocked by the CRES is 1,150, increasing from 770 as of last week.  A source at the CRES, however, said that some websites had been inaccessible due to traffic overload, not ordered closed by the CRES, and blamed ISPs for redirecting to the CRES page.  

On-line political writer Wattana Sukwat, one of the many writers having their content blocked or deleted by the ICT Ministry under emegency rule said the removal of his 200 or so articles is not just undemocratic but akin to deleting his on-line identity.

"I am a like matrix removed [in the Hollywood movie 'The Matrix'] and no longer exists [in cycber space] ," he said yesterday (Thursday).

The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation has ordered the MICT to close 190 websites, of which over 60% are claimed to be politically seditious.  Since the red shirt protests started, the MICT has ordered the blocking of about 500 URLs per day on average.