Nine new charges against Prachatai webmaster
April 15, 2009
FACT charges conspiracy against Prachatai and online freedom
Nine new charges laid against Chiranuch Premchaiporn
Chiranuch Premchaiporn, webmaster of independent Thai online news portal Prachatai, was arrested March 6 under Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act. Her charges resulted from allowing comments posted by readers of Prachatai’s online discussion fora alleged to be lèse majesté.
On April 7, Chiranuch was called to Royal Thai Police headquarters for further investigation. She was accompanied by Prachatai director Chuwat Rerksirisuk and her two lawyers. Thai police laid nine new charges against Chiranuch resulting from the information she herself gave them after her arrest.
Police claim the alleged illegal postings were allowed to remain on Prachatai fora for periods of one to fifteen days. Police consider each posting to be a separate violation of the computer law even though these were removed promptly after notification by Thailand’s ICT ministry.
None of the webboard posters have been arrested. FACT considers extra charges were laid against Chiranuch for two reasons. Firstly, police waited so long that the original forum postings had been deleted from Prachatai. Therefore they could not locate the actual posters by IP address. Secondly, they had such success in securing a draconian 20-year sentence against blogger Suwicha Thakhor on April 3.
Additional charges under the cybercrime law mean that Chiranuch is facing 50 years in prison for comments she did not create. Chiranuch is facing 50 years for not self-censoring webboard posts fast enough for government censors.
Police also told Chiranuch that six more persons will be charged later this month under the computer act.
Thai government is engaged in a political conspiracy to silence independent news and free expression. Government thinks they can silence freedom activists.
If we allow Chiranuch to go undefended by our words and actions, all of us face prison for free speech. How is Thailand different from Burma?
FACT demands all charges against Chiranuch Premchaiporn be withdrawn! Free media, free Thailand!
April 15, 2009 at 17:38
[…] 9 new charges against Chiranuch Premchaiporn FACT (15 April 2009: “Nine new charges against Prachatai webmaster”) reports on new charges laid against Prachatai web master Chiranuch Premchaiporn under […]
April 17, 2009 at 9:17
[…] FACT demands all charges against Chiranuch Premchaiporn be withdrawn! Free media, free Thailand! […]
April 17, 2009 at 11:45
[…] all charges against Chiranuch Premchaiporn be withdrawn! Free media, free Thailand! Source: https://facthai.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/nine-new-charges-against-prachat… __________________ All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my […]
April 17, 2009 at 17:24
Nine new charges against Prachatai webmaster-Additional charges under the cybercrime law mean that Chiranuch is facing 50 years in prison for comments she did not create. Chiranuch is facing 50 years for not self-censoring webboard posts fast enough for government censors
FACT demands all charges against Chiranuch Premchaiporn be withdrawn! Free media, free Thailand!
April 18, 2009 at 16:04
Why has no one else reported this except by linking to FACT? Are there any other news reports of this? Not denying, just asking.
February 5, 2010 at 4:02
[…] article. Teeranun had translated the Prachatai article and posted it on www. prachatai.com, a website that has already had problems with the lèse majesté laws. Others were charged later with similar offences related to the […]
February 9, 2010 at 17:10
[…] article. Teeranun had translated the Prachatai article and posted it on www. prachatai.com, a website that has already had problems with the lèse majesté laws. Others were charged later with similar offences related to the […]
August 29, 2013 at 6:32
[…] https://facthai.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/nine-new-charges-against-prachatai-webmaster. […]