First, the police arrested a third person for allegedly spreading rumors about HM the King’s health. As the Bangkok Post reports:

A third person has been arrested and charged with involvement in the spreading of rumours that caused a sharp drop in the stock market.

Somjate Itthiworakul, 38, was detained in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district yesterday after the Criminal Court approved a warrant for his arrest.

Mr Somjate was taken for questioning at the Central Investigation Bureau’s Hi-Tech Crime Centre where he was charged under the 2007 Computer Offences Act of posting misleading information which could pose a threat to national security.

BP: One question has always been, if they could arrest some of these people for translating foreign language news reports, why won’t they go after the foreign news agencies? Well, it seems the authorities are considering this, as Post Today reports. A DSI source is quoted as stating that DSI [equivalent of FBI] is considering taking action against a foreign news agency for spreading rumors. The news article was inauspicious and created panic in the stock market

The DSI source said that they had discussed bringing charges against the foreign news agency that focuses on economic matters that has an office in Hong Kong and the agency may be charged because it disseminated inauspicious news and this is deemed as being wrong. However, it is quite sensitive and Thailand may come under attack by other news agencies for doing so. Therefore, the DSI must consider the matter carefully.

BP: This is in reference to Bloomberg, who were the first to report the story that rumors over HM the King’s health had caused the stock market to fall. The authorities seem to be in a bind. It is double standards to arrest someone for translating a news article and they can rest assured that going after journalists would raise the stakes.

Finally, the the minister in charge of IT threatens ISPs. Prachatai translates this Thai Rath interview with the minister:

It was found that Theeranan Wiphuchanin might have posted the translation only on the website which was the source of the rumour [Prachatai webboard].  But Katha Pachachariyapong was found to have posted the ‘inauspicious’ content on many websites, and forwarded it to his stock-brokering friends, of whom at least two people had further forwarded the message. They will be charged under the 2007 Computer Crimes Act, the Minister said.

Regarding action against the source website of the rumour [Prachatai] where Theeranan posted her translation, Ranongrak said that she had to wait for the findings of the police first. If the website is found to have links with the ‘rumour-mongering gang’, the webmaster will be prosecuted under the 2007 Computer Crimes Act, facing the penalty of up to 5 years in jail or a fine of 100,000 baht, or both, she said.

The MICT has contacted the ISPs which provide services to the websites [Prachatai and Fah Diew Kan] and informed them that if they still allow these websites which have had a record of being ‘subversive to national security’ to continue, the Ministry will close down those ISPs.

BP: This is insane. It becomes more difficult to interpret the arrest of the two persons on Sunday for posting messages to Prachatai and SameSky (instead of targeting other sites which also carried the Bloomberg report) as anything other than a means to shut down the two sites. Korn’s comments the other day on the arrests are even more relevant:

“ใน ส่วนของเว็บไซต์ที่เผยแพร่ข้อมูลนั้น ที่ผ่านมามักจะมีบทบาทเผยแพร่ข้อมูลล่อแหลมทั้งต่อการเมืองและความมั่นคงของ ประเทศ และครั้งนี้ก็คงนำเสนอข้อมูลที่ผิดสังเกตจนนำไปสู่การจับกุมของตำรวจ ซึ่งน่าจะเป็นบทเรียนในอนาคต ส่วนจะถึงขั้นสั่งปิดเว็บหรือไม่ คงต้องขึ้นกับกระทรวงไอซีทีและกฎหมายที่เกี่ยวข้อง”

["For the websites who disseminated the information, in the past they usually have the role of disseminating dangerous/dicey information about politics and national security. This time it is unusual to the extent that they are arrested by the police. It is likely a lesson for the future. Regarding closing down the websites, it will be up to the Ministry of ICT and related laws."]

BP: Is this anything other than a threat? How many more will be arrested? How many more websites will be threatened with shutdowns? How many media organizations will protest?

btw, anyone notice that the papers no longer refer to it as “rumours over HM the King’s health”? It is now “inauspicious news”. Afraid to say what it is?