<p id="E26" qowt-divtype="para" qowt-eid="E26"><span id="E27" qowt-eid="E27">Thailand’s leading Internet freedom advocacy group has condemned the Thai authorit</span><span id="E28" qowt-eid="E28">ies</span><span id="E29" qowt-eid="E29"> for allowing Internet Service Providers (ISP</span><span id="E30" qowt-eid="E30">s</span><span id="E31" qowt-eid="E31">) to block </span><span id="E32" qowt-eid="E32">lèse majesté</span><span id="E33" qowt-eid="E33"> and other websites viewed as threats to national security the moment they see one. &nbsp; &nbsp;</span></p>

<div>The Thai authorities have revealed that they have invited representatives of Facebook in Thailand to discuss measures to prevent content defaming the Thai King on Facebook and how to have them prosecuted.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Thakorn Tantasith, Secretary-General of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), told reporters on Sunday that NBTC has invited the Thailand representatives of the social network company to a talk on Monday.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Thakorn said he wants Facebook head office to respect Thailand’s Article 112, or the lèse majesté law </div>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <div>The National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) on Friday punished a TV operator for airing<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_(TV_series)"> Dexter</a>, an American drama series about a serial killer, because of its “inappropriate” content.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Natee Sukonrat, Chair of the NBTC, said the drama violates Article 37 of the 2008 Broadcasting Act which prohibits the TV operators from airing content deemed a threat to security, a breach of public morality or public order, or obscenity. </div></div>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <div>Thai junta has set up working groups to monitor all media channels and will censor media that spreads information which leads to “hatred toward the monarchy,” or which is false.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Police General Adul Saengsingkaew, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, in his capacity as Deputy Leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the junta’s temporary administrative body, told the Thai media on Tuesday that bodies have been set up to monitor different types of media:&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>- Broadcast media will </div></div>

<div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Thai authorities will spy on the country’s popular mobile chat applications by infiltrating into chat groups which are suspected of disseminating anti-junta comments. </div></div>

<div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Under the century-old martial law declared by the army, a special body, set up on Wednesday to be responsible for internet censorship, vowed to shut down websites in an hour.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The body is composed of representatives from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), the police, and the army’s special peacekeeping body, the Peace and Order Maintaining Command (POMC). </div></div>

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<div>A draft amendment of Article 37 of the 2008 Broadcasting Act, aimed at prohibiting the broadcast of content undermining ‘national security’, the ‘constitutional monarchy system of government’, and ‘public morality’, is now undergoing public hearings while receiving wide opposition.</div> <div> </div>