‘‘Strong China’’ (qiangguo) discussion forum, 29 while the so-called Fifty Cent Party,i n
reference to an estimated 280,000 Web commentators nationwide who zealously support the Chinese Communist Party and were initially rumored to net 50 cents per post,
are directly organized by the government to ‘‘guide’’ online public opinion. 30 In South
Korea, with its credibility badly damaged by protests over the decision to end the ban
on imports of American beef that were largely fueled by Internet debate, President Lee
Myung-bak’s administration ordered government ministries and organizations to begin
blogging in order to inform the public of news and events. 31 It took these steps amid
attempts to legislate further restrictions on what it saw to be a proliferation of slanderous
and malicious commentary online. After Malaysia’s general election in March 2008, 32
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s
‘‘biggest mistake’’ in the elections was in believing that the ‘‘cyberwar’’ was unimportant. 33 Even the Burmese government, which has taken the most draconian measures to
keep its citizens off-line, reportedly launched its Web portal www.khitlunge.org.mm, run
by the government-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Association, to ‘‘spread
government propaganda and counter media attacks by exiled Burmese media groups.’’ 34
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
In 2007–2008, the leadership of many Asian governments facing political threats or
crises took measures to further restrict certain forms of expression on the Internet.
These measures, which especially targeted acts of cyber defamation and independent
news reporting and criticism on social media platforms such as YouTube, reflected the
growing relevance and impact of the Internet as a source of information from independent and diverse sources.
In Thailand, ongoing political turmoil between ‘‘red-shirt’’ and ‘‘yellow-shirt’’ factions, organized around their support of or opposition to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the constituencies he championed, led Thai Prime Minister Samak
Sundaravej to declare a state of emergency on September 2, 2008. Upon his declaration, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology ordered ISPs to
immediately shut down around 400 Web sites and block 1,200 more, all alleged to disturb social order or endanger national security. 35 Although these Web sites were reportedly detected between March and August 2008, the blocking order and simultaneous
requests for court orders required by law were instituted as the Thai government faced
challenges by protesters occupying government buildings and accusations that it committed electoral fraud by buying votes in the December 2007 election. 36
Providing an indication of the types of activities that will be targeted under the
Computer Crimes Act, in March 2009 police arrested the director and moderator of the
political news site www.prachatai.com for reportedly allowing a comment referencing
the royal family to remain on the site for 20 days. 37 Chiranuch Premchaiporn was
Asia Overview
413
reference to an estimated 280,000 Web commentators nationwide who zealously support the Chinese Communist Party and were initially rumored to net 50 cents per post,
are directly organized by the government to ‘‘guide’’ online public opinion. 30 In South
Korea, with its credibility badly damaged by protests over the decision to end the ban
on imports of American beef that were largely fueled by Internet debate, President Lee
Myung-bak’s administration ordered government ministries and organizations to begin
blogging in order to inform the public of news and events. 31 It took these steps amid
attempts to legislate further restrictions on what it saw to be a proliferation of slanderous
and malicious commentary online. After Malaysia’s general election in March 2008, 32
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s
‘‘biggest mistake’’ in the elections was in believing that the ‘‘cyberwar’’ was unimportant. 33 Even the Burmese government, which has taken the most draconian measures to
keep its citizens off-line, reportedly launched its Web portal www.khitlunge.org.mm, run
by the government-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Association, to ‘‘spread
government propaganda and counter media attacks by exiled Burmese media groups.’’ 34
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
In 2007–2008, the leadership of many Asian governments facing political threats or
crises took measures to further restrict certain forms of expression on the Internet.
These measures, which especially targeted acts of cyber defamation and independent
news reporting and criticism on social media platforms such as YouTube, reflected the
growing relevance and impact of the Internet as a source of information from independent and diverse sources.
In Thailand, ongoing political turmoil between ‘‘red-shirt’’ and ‘‘yellow-shirt’’ factions, organized around their support of or opposition to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the constituencies he championed, led Thai Prime Minister Samak
Sundaravej to declare a state of emergency on September 2, 2008. Upon his declaration, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology ordered ISPs to
immediately shut down around 400 Web sites and block 1,200 more, all alleged to disturb social order or endanger national security. 35 Although these Web sites were reportedly detected between March and August 2008, the blocking order and simultaneous
requests for court orders required by law were instituted as the Thai government faced
challenges by protesters occupying government buildings and accusations that it committed electoral fraud by buying votes in the December 2007 election. 36
Providing an indication of the types of activities that will be targeted under the
Computer Crimes Act, in March 2009 police arrested the director and moderator of the
political news site www.prachatai.com for reportedly allowing a comment referencing
the royal family to remain on the site for 20 days. 37 Chiranuch Premchaiporn was
Asia Overview
413