- Translated by Ponglert Pongwanan
- Date
- 16 Sept 2007
A website on Thai law closed itself down permanently after the Crime Suppression Division sent a letter to an internet service provider, asking for information about the website in connection with alleged contempt of court.
Criminal Court Judge Director-General Jirawan Suyanwanitkul filed a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division on July 5, 2007, to prosecute the webmaster of http://www.thaijustice.com/ for committing and supporting acts in contempt of court.
On Sept 6, Crime Suppression Division Deputy Commander Pol Col Vishnu Muangpraesri sent a letter to Internet Solution and Service Provider Co, asking for all information about the website and its records of users’ traffic.
On Sept 12, the webmaster Udom Sae-ung decided to permanently close down the website, notifying web visitors that the website has not been complicit in such acts.
It was understood that the case relates to certain comments posted on the webboard, criticizing past judgments and actions of the court over controversial political issues, including the verdict to dissolve the Thai Rak Thai party and retroactively ban its executives from politics, and the court’s involvement in the arrest of anti-coup leaders a few weeks ago.
The website’s homepage claims that its objectives are to provide the public with information on the law, and to improve mutual understanding between the public and the judiciary. It provides a free database on laws, verdicts, information about the courts, and a discussion forum.
DSI to handle hackers and disloyalty to the monarchy
In another development, the Department of Special Investigation’s Technology and Information Center Commander Pol Col Yanapol Yangyuen said that the Computer Crime Act gives the authorities broader authority to take legal action on cyber crimes, and the DSI is preparing a ministerial regulation to propose to the Cabinet that would classify crimes under the Computer Crime Act including hacking into state agencies’ computer systems and website postings offensive to the monarchy both inside and outside the country as special cases under the DSI, without the need for approval from the DSI board.