The world is falling a part with an inane financial crisis. Thailand has no government. The alleged Prime Minister doesn’t even have an… office (occupied by PAD’s protesters since 2 months), the government is obviously attacked (the Queen going to the funerals of a PAD protester killed)… but it’s still important to save face, to pretend, to be more royalist than the King himself.
Even though it would lead to act like a good democracy such as… China. Mai pen rai.
Go Thailand ! Go deeper into the Rabbit Hole.
The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) plans to spend about 100 million to 500 million baht to build a gateway to block websites with contents defaming the royal institution.
ICT Minister Mun Patanotai said exactly 86 per cent of those websites are from foreign countries. He said his ministry will give more attention to websites violating lese majeste laws than pornographic, obscene and terrorist websites.
According to the minister, thousands of the websites have been found to have information offending the monarchy, but they could not be revealed because Internet users would visit them once they are known.
The minister added the more such websites are suppressed, the more they grow, but police will continue to penalise the offenders nonetheless.
Prime Minister and Defence Minister Somchai Wongsawat had discussed this with the intelligence units, the Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) and the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT), Mr Mun said. (Bangkok Post)
Thailand Crisis 
Complete Madness !
“According to the minister, thousands of the websites have been found to have information offending the monarchy, but they could not be revealed because Internet users would visit them once they are known.
The minister added the more such websites are suppressed, the more they grow, but police will continue to penalise the offenders nonetheless.”
In other words, the government is aware that:
1. Websites criticising the monarchy are becoming increasingly popular as people question the brainwashing that Thais are exposed to from the cradle to the grave.
2. The government accepts that these websites are increasing in number and their audience is increasing.
3. The government accepts that what they are doing to suppress the websites isn’t working but they are going to keep right on doing it.
How very Thai of them. But not to worry, the Thai way of life is beginning to crumble, as Bedwyr has noted previously. Nobody will be sorry, except the elite and their figureheads.
Bedwyr
I love this price estimate for the firewall. Will thee be an elecronic bidding? My company would be more than happy to develop such a gateway for that amount of money.
Maybee we should provide the link to ‘freeware’ covering such functuality. Might save the country a lot of money. On the other hand – who will then finance PPP?
So let thm develop this gateway. It will be outdated, not working and never delivered. It’s like the chips on the Thai identity cards.
Anyhow, If somebody want’s to access these sites, he just puts up a satelite dish from a non-thai internet provider and he cann access any site he wants.
Surely the ICT must be just trying to build up their budget for next year? There’s no end to the ways in which they can waste (taxpayers) money. Never mind sorting out the mess that is Thailand’s IT infrastructure while Vietnam and Cambodia forge ahead with 3G.
Isn’t there already a firewall in place, why a new one ?
Will there be two firewalls now (maybe with a shark infested moat between them).
But seriously where does this money go ?
ThaiChris is right. These buggers do everything the same way they build airports and roads. Half-assed.
Any Thai firewall is going to be sloppy, ineffective, over-budget due to the inevitable greasing of palms, and just plain laughable.
In short, it will only be good for a cheap bit of talking a good game. Only worth a little bit of swagger value.
So no change there then…
Bedwyr
Nobody really cares what this useless ministry is doing. On one hand it’s just a cheap shot to show that they remain so loyal to HM. On the other hand, they know by heart that doing so would pose further negative image on the Monarch as the untouchable.
UPDATE:
Last night a group of Pro-Thaksin supporters attempted to raid the Government House, the PAD compound. A few homemade grenade were thrown at the guards, injuring many. 2 of the PAD members are in critical condition. It appeared that their aims were to injure the PAD guards and intimidate the crowd.
See the discrepancy between the government action about the firewall and their attempt to instigate more clashes here?