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Thailand's military junta has already banned Facebook (a few times), Bitcoin and the gameTropico, but that's not enough for the censor-happy dictatorship. The nation is now kicking around the idea of a single gateway -- effectively one internet connection between Thailand and the rest of the world. With that in place, the government would have complete control over the country's internet traffic, making censorship and surveillance a breeze. Naturally, this so-called Great Firewall of Thailand isn't something that its citizens are taking lying down, which is why several government websites were taken down in a co-ordinated DDoS attack last week.
The cause is uniting several disparate groups from privacy campaigners all the way through to gamers. The attacks themselves were co-ordinated using Facebook, with the Anti-CAT Tower Mob among several to run the show. Users were encouraged to constantly refresh government websites, like that of the Ministry of Defense, until their servers fell over -- and even that is over the limit of what's considered a lawful protest. The movement has even created a cartoon character to represent the plan in the form of Nong Kalaland.
Shortly after the DDoS attack was launched, the country's minister for information, Uttama Savanayana, spoke to allay fears about the project. He said that the single gateway was designed to improve internet speeds while making it cheaper for the government to run. In addition, Thailand's leader General Prayut Chan-o-cha said that the plan wouldn't go ahead if it was found to be a breach of human rights. We're not entirely sure we'll take on trust the word of a military dictatorship, so we'll expect to see a spike in people searching for privacy tools like Marionette in the country.
[Image Credit: Getty]
Thai Junta Leader Prayuth Tells Media: 'Don't Overly Oppose Me'
Thailand's military junta has already banned Facebook (a few times), Bitcoin and the gameTropico, but that's not enough for the censor-happy dictatorship. The nation is now kicking around the idea of a single gateway -- effectively one internet connection between Thailand and the rest of the world. With that in place, the government would have complete control over the country's internet traffic, making censorship and surveillance a breeze. Naturally, this so-called Great Firewall of Thailand isn't something that its citizens are taking lying down, which is why several government websites were taken down in a co-ordinated DDoS attack last week.
The cause is uniting several disparate groups from privacy campaigners all the way through to gamers. The attacks themselves were co-ordinated using Facebook, with the Anti-CAT Tower Mob among several to run the show. Users were encouraged to constantly refresh government websites, like that of the Ministry of Defense, until their servers fell over -- and even that is over the limit of what's considered a lawful protest. The movement has even created a cartoon character to represent the plan in the form of Nong Kalaland.
Shortly after the DDoS attack was launched, the country's minister for information, Uttama Savanayana, spoke to allay fears about the project. He said that the single gateway was designed to improve internet speeds while making it cheaper for the government to run. In addition, Thailand's leader General Prayut Chan-o-cha said that the plan wouldn't go ahead if it was found to be a breach of human rights. We're not entirely sure we'll take on trust the word of a military dictatorship, so we'll expect to see a spike in people searching for privacy tools like Marionette in the country.
[Image Credit: Getty]
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By Chris Blake and Supunnabul Suwannakij
Bloomberg.com
October 6, 2015Thai military ruler Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who since seizing control of the country has summoned hundreds of people to military camps for what he terms “attitude adjustment,” warned that more journalists seen as too critical may be ordered to report to authorities.
Prayuth, who toppled the elected government in a May 2014 coup, said the media ignore his government’s accomplishments and instead focus solely on issues such as human rights or criticizing him. Prayuth, who in an interim constitution granted himselfabsolute power through which all his actions are legal, insisted he has never broken the law.
“Today you still write the same kind of news reports” as before the coup, he told reporters Tuesday at Government House in Bangkok. “It can’t be like that.”
“What is reported in the media makes Thailand look like there is no political stability, even though we’re peaceful now,” he said. “It’s O.K. whether you’ll support me or not, but don’t overly oppose me.”
Rights groups say that since the coup the junta has summonedmore than 750 politicians, activists, academics and journalists to report to authorities for temporary detention of up to seven days. Detainees have reported being interrogated by military personnel without access to lawyers and being forced to sign documents pledging not to oppose the military junta under threat of military trial. In recent weeks the junta has summoned two high-profile journalists for attitude adjustment, one a columnist at a Bangkok daily newspaper and the other a political cartoonist.
Invited to ‘Chat’
Prayuth on Tuesday defended his junta’s actions.
“I would like to ask you whether there is any media in jail or not,” he said. “Is there anyone? We invite some people to chat. Why can’t I call them in for a chat? I can’t touch the media at all? I can’t invite them for a meeting? If there is misunderstanding, we invite them to chat to create understanding."
Prayuth, who holds the title of prime minister in addition to heading the military junta, is under increasing pressure as Thailand’s economy slows, exports shrink and household debt rises. There is no firm date for a return to elections and civilian rule, with the previous time line delayed last month when the junta’s reform council rejected a proposed draft constitution.
Prayuth has said he had no choice but to stage the coup in order to end more than a decade of sometimes deadly political unrest by rival factions and “return happiness” to a divided population. He has repeatedly called for patience as he and his appointed bodies map out and implement broad reforms across Thai society.
The government’s crackdown on dissent has led to a “shrinking democratic space” in Thailand, according to a United Nations statement released after Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon met Prayuth last month in New York. Ban has called for freedoms of speech and assembly to be upheld.
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Related story on privacy tools Marionette
Internet tool fights censorship by making banned data look 'normal'
Endgadget.com
August 25th 2015It's getting harder to evade censorship in countries like China and Iran, which have increasingly taken to blocking VPNs, the Tor network and any other service that might let you see the unflattering truth. A clever new tool should help you leap over those hurdles, however. Marionette, developed by researchers at RedJack and Portland State University, masks your visits to banned sites and services by making your data transmissions seem innocuous. It doesn't just disguise the traffic type -- you can program it to mimic the variances you'd expect from a given form of traffic (say, a voice chat) and respond in a convincing way when the censors' blocking software comes calling.
Marionette's source code is available right now, but it may be a while before it's in widespread use -- if you're a political dissident, you don't want the software to break and let governments catch you in the act. Don't be surprised if it flourishes, though. The hope is that it might find its way into Tor, giving the anonymity network's users a ready-made way to escape online oppression. While there's a good chance that authoritarian regimes will eventually find a way to stop Marionette, there's no doubt that they'll have their work cut out for them.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Andres Kudacki]