The government yesterday calmed fears civil rights would be threatened if it adopts a tighter monitoring system to counter anti-monarchy messages on the internet.
The proposed procurement of "a lawful interception (LI) system", estimated at 400 million baht, was unveiled yesterday during a press briefing by a government panel to crack down on lese majeste on the internet.
The panel was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung.
Pol Col Siripong Timula, deputy commander of Technology Crime Suppression Division, assured that the LI system would not be used extensively, but would be allowed by a court order.
"To curb anxiety, I'd like to stress that the system must be applied under the law, which means it must be approved by a court. So there is no need to fear violations of rights," he said.
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Mr Chalerm said Wednesday the procurement of the LI system was proof that the government and his committee were taking the issue seriously.
He said police and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology would have to integrate their work. The proposed procurement was approved in principle by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, he said.
Mr Chalerm said he believes the LI system was worth the money.
The plan drew criticism from Democrat MP for Songkhla Sirichoke Sopha who lambasted the ICT ministry for failing to enforce the Computer Crime Act and block unlawful or inappropriate content.
"The problem is not with the tool, but the ICT Ministry," he said. "The people are more or less monitoring websites and reporting them to the authorities. It is possible that those who are involved in such activity are supporters of Pheu Thai."
He also called on Mr Chalerm and ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap to conduct more research into networking security.
Warin Thiamcharas, adviser to the Senate committee on human rights and consumer protection, voiced disagreement to the proposed procurement of the LI system.
He said that a clear policy and political will are effective enough in cracking down on inappropriate websites.
However, Mr Warin said that using the device to intercept communications deemed offensive to the monarchy was not illegal.
"It is allowed by the Computer Crimes Act's Section 29. It is illegal to post such content on the Internet," he said.
Meanwhile, the Lawyers Council of Thailand yesterday called for the establishment of a special unit to monitor and take action against internet content deemed insulting to the monarchy.
In its petition, the council said that the task required close cooperation between the police force and the ICT Ministry.
The council also said wrongdoers should be separated into two groups: those with an intent to topple the monarchy and those who act with ignorance.
The former should be prosecuted according to law while the latter encouraged to have a better understanding.
The petition was lodged with the ICT Ministry, the Justice Ministry and the police force.
A team of officials from the Department of Special Investigation yesterday discussed with public prosecutors the issue of speeding up lese majeste cases, a DSI source said.
The meeting was held because there was apparently no progress in the past year. Of 33 cases, only half were completed.
The source said that to decide if the suspects would be indicted the investigators would determine if the charges had legal merit and when and where the alleged offences were committed.
The source said the team reportedly agreed to follow the Truth for Reconciliation Commission's recommendation in promoting national reconciliation in pursuing the cases.
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