(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has protested as the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra demonstrated a toughening stance towards critics by closing several community radio stations and two alternative news websites in the space of a week. RSF is particularly concerned over the 21 June 2005 closure of two controversial websites, http://www.fm9225.com and http://www.thai-insider.com, reportedly on […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has protested as the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra demonstrated a toughening stance towards critics by closing several community radio stations and two alternative news websites in the space of a week.
RSF is particularly concerned over the 21 June 2005 closure of two controversial websites, http://www.fm9225.com and http://www.thai-insider.com, reportedly on the orders of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry.
“Thailand already blocks access to thousands of sites considered ‘inappropriate’, particularly pornographic sites, but also some publications exposing ‘cases’ implicating the authorities,” the organisation said. “However this is the first time, to our knowledge, that the minister has ordered a host to close a news website. It sets an extremely serious precedent, all the more so since the government refuses to justify its decision and even pretends not to have made it. We would like to remind it that the closure of an online publication can only be decided by a court; it cannot be justified by an administrative decision.”
According to the English-language daily “Bangkok Post”, the ICT Ministry contacted the web host companies directly to get the websites removed. The ministry has so far denied being behind this censorship.
The website http://www.thai-insider.com carried articles exposing corruption and implicating the government. Its head, Ekkayuth Anchanbutr, a fierce opponent of Prime Minister Thaksin, has already moved his site to another host. It can now be accessed on http://www.akeyuth.com.
The site http://www.fm9225.com posts broadcasts by several community radio stations, such as FM 92.25, which is critical of the government. According to the daily “The Nation”, a manager of the site said he had received a letter from the ICT Ministry department responsible for the Internet saying the site was endangering “the country’s unity and security.”
For more information on Internet censorship in Thailand, see: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=1074
The website closures come at a time when the government has begun a battle of wills with a number of community radio stations. The authorities have said they want to regulate the sector, which comprises more than 3,000 stations, while some of the radio stations’ management see it more as a bid to bring them to heel.
At least two such stations have been closed since a 15 June deadline passed, by which all community radio stations had to register and resolve their “technical problems”.
RSF has asked the government to try to find negotiated solutions to resolve the technical problems. “The rapid development of community radio stations is good news for pluralism of news and information in Thailand. It is regrettable that the government should be tempted to snuff out these fledgling stations,” said the organisation.
Agents from the Public Relations Department (PRD) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), a regulatory body, closed two Bangkok community radio stations, Huay Kwang and Bang Khen, on 17 June. The transmitter of the first station and the antenna of the second were seized. The authorities said they had been using non-regulation equipment, which was interfering with signals from other stations and with aviation.
The new regulations governing community radio stations limit their output to 30 watts and a range of less than 15 kilometres. It also bans the use of antennas higher than 30 metres. Operators say they need 500 watts and 60-metre aerials.
Radio controllers who fail to comply with these technical rules can face up to five years in prison and a fine of 100,000 baht (approx. US$2,400; 2,000 euros).
The government issued two warnings in May to the station FM 92.25, saying its antenna was too high. To avoid closure, FM 92.25 took down its antenna and launched the website http://www.fm9225.com.
Thai journalists contacted by RSF said that the summary action taken against community radio stations highlights the authorities’ determination to defend their own position in the sector. The PRD manages nearly 200 stations. The army owns two television stations and 120 radio stations.
