Junta clamp down on websites

Nation:Junta clamps down on websites

The year may well be the 21st century's version of George Orwell's "1984" for Thailand as the number of blocked websites since the coup has increased by 500 per cent as of January, according to the campaign group Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT).

The "blocklist", numbering 13,435 websites as of January 11, compared to 2,475 in October 13 last year, "shows a frightening increase in thought control and abrogation of civil liberties and human rights in Thailand," FACT said in a recent statement. "2007 may well be the 21st century's "1984" in Thailand."

Some anti-coup websites such as 19sep.org have been blocked six time since the coup took place last September.

"In the wake of September 19, many Thai Web discussion boards were blocked or ordered to self-censor, stifling freedom of expression and freedom of association," FACT stated.

It added that no identification of the blocked websites has been disclosed to the public nor do the involved government agencies disclose what criteria they use to block some sites.

The Nation

Its not only politics that are being messed with
2 Days ago they blocked a chatroom/webcam site called Camfrog.
This site had many many Thai users (which means it is popular) however the powers that be claimed that some people were using it for 'sexual' purposes

Tell me a chatroom with webcam facility that does not have the same !!!

I have used camfrog in the past and in all honesty you would be hard pushed to see anything raunchy - even in the over 18 rooms. I saw perhaps 1 or 2 girls who were 'teasing' people but not actually showing anything - maybe I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As far as I am aware - the site has only been blocked within Thailand - perhaps some of the members outside Thailand can verify this.

It is (was) a free programme except for the pro version. Wonder what comeback those who paid for the pro version have - now they have been blocked from accessing it. Probrably none !

The Fun Police strike again

camfrog website is not blocked for me in uk

camfrog website - www.camfrog.com is not blocked for me here in Udon Thani... Just went to it...

Doc wrote:camfrog website - www.camfrog.com is not blocked for me here in Udon Thani... Just went to it...

Nor me outside Udon.

May have been only a temporary block - or came up as such due to Internet traffic.

I have removed camfrog from all my computers. There was something in the news about blocking it, told to me by the TW. Customers here have tried to logon to the messenger and are unable to logon. So it seems that the camfrog messenger is blocked but not the website.

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