Bangkok, Dec 20: The government has asked Internet service providers in Thailand to block access to content it considers "obscene" and "subversive," raising fears of censorship in one of Southeast Asia`s freest societies. Thailand`s 18 Internet providers must filter out sites containing material deemed sexually explicit or subversive to national security and the monarchy, Information and Communications Technology Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said.
Surapong met with representatives of the Internet providers at his office on Thursday and asked for their "cooperation" in making cyberspace "a common and pleasant place."
He warned that Internet operators who fail to comply risk losing their licenses. But Surapong did not say how the Internet can be effectively policed, which experts agree is very difficult to do.
Surapong said the move is part of a government plan to "fully embrace information technology development" by first eliminating what it views as "bad seeds."
Media freedom advocates say the proposed clampdown on Internet access could bode ill for Thailand, one of the freest and most liberal societies in Southeast Asia. Bureau Report