People urged to not 'quietly accept' govt's media censorship
People are not really questioning the government's decision to censor media, simply because they believe it is acceptable under the emergency decree, said Chiranuch Premchaiporn, webmaster of prachatai.com, which is being blocked because it is considered to be pro-red shirt.
"There are no questions asked and people just accept it," she said at a meeting held yesterday [May 13] to discuss freedom of expression on the Internet. The forum was organised by the Netizen Group, an online club of Internet users.
Supinya Klangnarong, deputy chairperson of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform (CPMR), said the government might become used to censoring media at whim, especially since it has blocked more than 600 websites since emergency was declared on April 7.
"Normally, censorship is not allowed, but the government might get used to it because they've been able to do it under the emergency decree," she said, referring to the widespread censorship of red-shirt media and outlets sympathetic to the movement. She also warned that this censorship was affecting the country's international standing.
In addition, the government's newest threat to block cellphone signals at the Rajprasong rally site also violated the freedom of expression.
"What we need to do now is diffuse the political stand-off first, and then talk about reconciliation," she said.
Mana Trirapiwat, lecturer of mass communication at the University of Chamber of Commerce, said online censorship reflected an "old frame of mind", under which the government believes that control is the key.
"The old frame of mind is to use power to deal with problems, but they can't shut down [the new media] completely. There's no space for grey area [under this mentality]. It means, if I am white, then you must be black," he said, adding that if a red-shirt government were in power, it would probably do the same.
People at prachatai.com have been fighting the censorship by coming up with new addresses over the past week and urging other webmasters to not give up that easily.
"We must show that the online world cannot be shut down. The only way would be to launch an M79 grenade at our office or abduct Chiranuch," Chuwat Rertsirisuk, editor of prachatai.com, said.
Kowit Pothisarn from Media Monitor group said censoring the media was not a political solution, and advised the government to review its stance.
Comments
Yes indeed, congratulations
Yes indeed, congratulations on being persistent and standing up for principles.
Thais have been propagandised for 60-odd years into acceptance; acceptance of their poverty if they are poor, acceptance of their inferior social status if they are Laos-Thai and not Chinese-Thai, accepting of the decisions of the pooyay, acceptance of the corruption and injustice of the pooyay.
Propagandised.
But the giant is awakening. Abhisit and the elites (including the palace), do not seem to recognise that if the government crushes the protests, it is very likely to develop into a guerilla-style campaign in the provinces. Likewise, they do not seem to understand that it is very unlikely the government will win.
Frankly, if I were Prem, Suthep or Abhsit, I would have the travel brochures out and be looking for a new home overseas, because there is not way I can see them staying in Thailand after this tragic shambles.
It seems likely to me that the so-called 'royalists' have done more damage to the monarchy in Thailand than Thaksin could ever hope to have done.
A couple of years ago I saw a huge billboard on the corner of Asoke and Sukhumvit. It said 'Rama 9 - the greatest king of all?" The legend-building had already been going on for some time, with the sycophants each trying to out-grovel each other. I think the question now is not about which King was the greatest but whether the monarchy can even survive what is happening now, because whatever is said in public, all the Thais I have spoken to (taxi-drivers, motocy taxi-drivers, reds at Rajaprasong and lots of 'people in the street') are very clear about who owns the responsibility for this. And they are very not happy.
All real Thais should ask themselves why it is that nobody wants Thais in their country. Thais are not welcome in any country. Thailand has no international friends, another thing that the amart have done by their behaviour at home and overseas.
The world's brothel and major centre of corruption and thieving badly needs to clean up its act, and the first thing to do is get rid of the people who have made Thailand what it is today. Allow the real Thais to re-build their oft-raped country.
yes the royalists have done
yes the royalists have done more damage to the monarchy than anyone else. and then walk free. no justice, no intelligence. fuck the PAD
So far as I am concerned,
So far as I am concerned, Chiranuch is one of the hero figures of Thailand's media. Top job girl. Way to go.
Abhisit and the elites
Abhisit and the elites (including the palace), do not seem to recognise that if the government crushes the protests, it is very likely to develop into a guerilla-style campaign in the provinces.
Ah...but they do recognize that. They have pre-emptively issued their "Emergency Decree" in 17 more provinces. No doubt they will begin campaigns of assassination against those they perceive to be their enemies in the provinces as well.
Likewise, they do not seem to understand that it is very unlikely the government will win.
I believe that they do think that their reign of terror - for they are and always have been the true terrorists in Thailand - can subdue the people, once again. Not only do they not shrink from their heinous acts of murder, they seem to delight in them. To enjoy murder and assassination for the very acts themselves. Through spurning the common opinion of mankind they seek to transcend it, to become the Uebermenschen, unconstrained, with the Will to Power.
It seems likely to me that the so-called 'royalists' have done more damage to the monarchy in Thailand than...any enemy... could ever hope to have done.
I think that is beyond doubt. I have removed Thaksin's name because that is just another red-herring dragged over their trail by the "royalists" to try to deflect attention from their on-going campaign of assassination... claiming the monarchy is in danger. It is not.
People are not really
People are not really questioning the government's decision to censor media, simply because they believe it is acceptable under the emergency decree, said Chiranuch Premchaiporn, webmaster of prachatai.com, which is being blocked because it is considered to be pro-red shirt.
Then it is the emergency decree that is unacceptable, is it not? Instituted in its present incarnation by Thaksin the Great in 2005, was it not?
An emergency decree is the government's ability at any time simply to suspend the law - to censor, to imprison, to torture, to murder, by whatever means to cow the people back into line - and then to reinstate it as though nothing had happened. All its acts during the hiatus unquestioned and unquestionable.
The emergency decree is nothing more than an institutionalized coup, available at anytime the government perceives some people, some media to be "in need of killing".
Thailand needs to institute the rule of law. To adopt a constitution that spells out the rights that can NEVER be revoked. A constitution which itself can NEVER be revoked - by any government at least. The people as sovereigns can always reinstitute their own means of self-government. But not even the sovereign people can revoke the common rights of mankind, the common rights of all living creatures. Hubris has its bounds.
The people of Thailand need to be a little more intolerant of their own egregious abuse at the hands of their creature : their government.
Supinya, Chiranuch, Pasuk... Darunee. With a few more good women as exemplars the vainglorious men of Thailand might be able to understand what it means, what it takes to be free and so to effect that freedom.
"Supinya, Chiranuch, Pasuk...
"Supinya, Chiranuch, Pasuk... Darunee. With a few more good women as exemplars the vainglorious men of Thailand might be able to understand what it means, what it takes to be free and so to effect that freedom."
Indeed, a small round of applause for that comment.