<p>A bill meant to replace Thailand's controversial Computer Crime Act of 2007 was put on hold by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on 19 April 2011 amidst strong criticism from civil society groups, media reports said.</p>

<p>Cyberattacks, politically motivated censorship, and government control over internet infrastructure are among the diverse and growing threats to internet freedom, according to <em>Freedom on the Net 2011: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media</em>,a new <a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&amp;c=sTPWobP%2BM2hK8iCweN47GniHQ1nXfi1Q">study</a> released today by Freedom House.</p>

<p class="rteleft">This month marks the one year anniversary of protests in Thailand that brought Bangkok to a standstill in 2010. Some 88 people were killed and 1800 injured in the violence. The country still remains in a transition, with Red Shirt protesters taking to the streets and the current government of Abhisit Vejjajiva preparing for an election this year. Following last April&rsquo;s protests, the government quickly began cracking down on media and FSRN has been following the case of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, an editor with the news website Prachatai.</p>

<p>The Internet Rights and Principles Dynamic Coalition (DC-IRP) launched on 31 March 2011 its &quot;10 Internet Rights and Principles&quot; for an Internet governance rooted in human rights and social justice.</p>

<p class="rteleft">On 27 Mar, immediately after the public forum held by Nitirassadorn, the group of Thammasat law lecturers, to propose amendments to the l&egrave;se majest&eacute; law, a group of activists launched a public awareness campaign to call on Thai society to open up discussion and debate about the law.</p>

<p>A correspondent of a Mindanao-based newspaper was arrested on libel charges last 4 March 2011 at his home in Indahag village, Cagayan de Oro City. Cagayan de Oro City is approximately 789 kilometers south of Manila.</p>

<p>The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia regrets that yet another reprimand was issued by the Home Ministry to the press, this time to &ldquo;The Star&rdquo;.</p>

<p>Online calls for China to stage its own &lsquo;Jasmine Revolution&rsquo; following protests in the Middle East and North Africa has prompted the heaviest wave of arrests of Chinese activists for several years, Amnesty International has said.</p>

<p>The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia welcomes the withdrawal of the case against blogger &ldquo;Hassan Skodeng&rdquo;, whose real name is Irwan Abdul Rahman, over a satirical post he made almost a year ago. While CIJ is pleased that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has dropped the case, which was discharged by the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court on 15 March 2011, it notes that there were no grounds for prosecution to begin with, which raises questions as to why the case was allowed to come this far.</p>

<p>London 16.03.11: Red shirt-affiliated website administrator Thanthawut Taweewarodomkul has been sentenced by a Thai court to 13 years in prison for posting content offending the royal family. ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned about the mounting clampdown on freedom of expression in Thailand, especially on the internet.</p>

<p>London 14.03.11: ARTICLE 19 has submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council highlighting the Thai government&rsquo;s restriction of the right to freedom of expression including emergency powers, the Computer Crime Act, defamation and l&egrave;se-majest&eacute; laws. The report also raises concerns over the lack of implementation of the Official Information Act, and the control of the media by the military and government.</p>

<p>The mainstream Thai mass media faces a complex set of challenges ranging from legal barriers and political bias to other internal problems that prevent it from protecting the public interest and advancing freedom and democracy, Thailand's first Asian Media Barometer report has found.</p>