<p>Reporters Without Borders congratulates Carol Bartz for her 13 January 2009 appointment as Yahoo!&#39;s new CEO, replacing Jerry Yang. Secretary-general Jean-Fran&ccedil;ois Julliard seized the opportunity to write to Bartz to express the organisation&#39;s concerns about Yahoo!&#39;s policies in China, mentioning the case of journalist Shi Tao of the &quot;Dangdai Shang Bao&quot; business daily.</p>

<p><span>Reporters Without Borders deplores today&#39;s arrest of Internet user <strong>Suwicha Thakhor</strong> on a charge of insulting the monarchy (lese majeste), just one day after <a href="http://www.thainetizen.org/" target="_blank">Thai Netizen Network</a>, a group that defends online freedom of expression, met with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and suggested ways to reach a compromise on Internet regulation, including the issue of lese majeste.</span></p>

<p>As you know, I have been summonsed to Pathumwan police station for questioning <strong>at 10.00 am on Tuesday 20th January 2009</strong>. I have been accused of Lese Majeste. <strong>The charge arises from my book &ldquo;A Coup for the Rich&rdquo;</strong>, published in 2007. Those found guilty of Lese Majeste face a heavy prison sentence.</p>

<p><span>In response to press queries, Mr. Tharit Charungvat, Director-General of Department of Information and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on news reports concerning Amnesty International&#39;s study alleging that Thai security forces are systematically using torture and other ill-treatment on suspects in pursuing its counter-insurgency campaign.</span></p>

<p>Associate Professor Giles Ji Ungpakorn, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, has been summonsed to Pathumwan police station for questioning at 13.00 hrs on Tuesday 13th January 2009. The summons was issued as a result of a complaint filed by Special Branch Police Lt Col. Pansak Sasana-anund. Professor Ungpakorn has been accused by the above individual of les majesty. No details have been given of the allegations. Such details should be revealed after the initial police interview. Professor Ungpakorn has not yet been officially charged.</p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders is very concerned about online free expression in Thailand following the new government&#39;s decision to make monitoring the Internet a priority in order to prevent insults to the monarchy. Ranongrak Suwanchawee, minister of information and communications technology in the government that took over on 15 December, says more that 2,300 websites have been blocked and 400 are being investigated. Nearly 2 million euros (80 million baht) have been earmarked for web filtering. </p>

<p>At the dawn of 2009, many sighed with relief that, for whatever reason, a big political hurdle has been overcome.<span>&nbsp; </span>The new Administration led by Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, however, has pledged to prioritize suppression of any offence related to defamation of the monarch.<span>&nbsp; </span></p>

<p>6 January 2009: A recent report has been received concerning the case of Ms. Boonyuen Prasertying, defendant in Black Case No. Or 4326/2551, charged by public prosecutors of Department of Special Litigation 7, Office of the Attorney General, with insulting or threatening the King, Queen, and Heir Apparent.</p>

<p>Following the remarks of Mrs. Ranongrak Suwanchawee, Minister of ICT, regarding plans to spend over 80 million Baht budget for technical apparatus to censor (block) lese majeste websites, as well as plans to expedite legal amendments to give ICT Ministry more carte-blanche powers, members of Thai Netizen Network (TNN) are voicing their concerns regarding such plans. </p>

<p>Thai authorities have blocked 2,300 websites for allegedly insulting the country&#39;s monarchy, with 400 more awaiting a court order to restrict them, media reports said.</p>

<p>Prosecuting the soldiers who killed an imam in army detention will be a test of the administration of Thailand&rsquo;s new prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has vowed to bring justice to Thailand&rsquo;s conflict-ridden southern border provinces, Human Rights Watch said today.</p>

<p><span><br /> <p align="justify"> Reporters Without Borders is more concerned than ever about the Internet&#39;s future in Thailand after yesterday&#39;s announcement that access to more than 2,300 websites was blocked in 2008, in most cases for lese-majeste (insulting the king), and the new information minister&#39;s pledge to make it her priority to block such online content.</p> <p></p></span></p>