ORGANISATION:
Thai Media Policy Center
The Thai Media Policy Center is a non-profit body whose aim is to be a centre for media law and policy for Thailand. The Center, which is currently a research and advocacy unit within Chulalongkorn University, is built on the conviction that the rule of law and policy for public interest are vital to the existence of free and independent media as well as an informed citizenry.
PROJECT:
Censoring Online Political Forums in Post-2006 Coup Thailand
In the aftermath of the 2006 coup d’état in Thailand, online political forums have emerged as a major public sphere in Thailand and a prime target of surveillance and censorship by the state. This study investigates how the changing political conditions in Thailand have influenced censorship and surveillance of four popular online political forums between 2006 and 2009. It examines:
- The structure of Internet censorship and surveillance
- How laws and regulation are applied to enforce content censorship in online political forums
- How civil society groups adapt to censorship and surveillance.
The study reports on how censorship and surveillance is rationalized on the grounds of lèse majesté (intimidating the royal family), a powerful cultural mechanism for silencing dissent in Thai society.