ລິ້ງ ສຳຫລັບເຂົ້າຫາ

ວັນສຸກ, ໒໙ ມີນາ ໒໐໒໔

ພວກ​​ປົກ​ປ້ອງ​ສິ​ດທິ​ມະ​ນຸດ ຢ້ານ​​ວ່າ ສູນ​ຕ້ານ​​ຂ່າວ​ຂີ້​ຕົວະ ຂອງ​ໄທ ຈະ​ທຳ​ການ​ສອດ​ແນມ​ເບິ່ງ ​ພວກ​ຕ້ານ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ບານ


ທ່ານ ປະ​ຢຸດ ຈັນ​ໂອ​ຊາ (ກາງ), ນາ​ຍົກ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ມົນ​ຕີ​ໄທທີ່​ສືບ​ຕໍ່​ປົກ​ຄອງ​ປະ​ເທດ​ພາຍ​ຫລ​ັງ​ການ​ເລືອກ​ຕັ້ງທີ່​ຂາດ​ຄວາມບໍ​ລິ​ສຸດໃນ​ເດືອນມີ​ນາ​ຜ່ານ​ມາ
ທ່ານ ປະ​ຢຸດ ຈັນ​ໂອ​ຊາ (ກາງ), ນາ​ຍົກ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ມົນ​ຕີ​ໄທທີ່​ສືບ​ຕໍ່​ປົກ​ຄອງ​ປະ​ເທດ​ພາຍ​ຫລ​ັງ​ການ​ເລືອກ​ຕັ້ງທີ່​ຂາດ​ຄວາມບໍ​ລິ​ສຸດໃນ​ເດືອນມີ​ນາ​ຜ່ານ​ມາ

ບັນ​ດາ​ກຸ່ມ​ປົກ​ປ້ອງ​ສິດ​ທິ​ມະ​ນຸດ ແລະ​ພັກ​ຕໍ່​ຕ້ານ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ບານ​ຢູ່​ໃນ​ໄທ ກຳ​ລັງ​ເຕືອນ​ວ່າ ສູ​ນ​ກາງໃໝ່​ທີ່​ພວກເຈົ້າ​ໜ້າມີ​ແຜນ​ທີ່​ຈະ​ເປີດຂຶ້ນ​ໃນ​ເດືອນ​ໜ້ານີ້ເພື່ອ​ຕ້ານ​ກັບ​ການ​ກະ​ກາຍ​ຂ່າວບໍ່​ຈິງ ຫລື fake news ຢູ່​ໃນ​ສື່​ສັງ​ຄົມ​ອອນ​ລາຍນັ້ນ ​ອາດ​ຈະຖືກ​ນຳ​ໃຊ້ໄປ​ໃນ​ທາງ​ຜິດ ແລະ​ເຮັດ​ໃຫ້​ພວກ​ຕຳ​ໜິ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ບານບໍ່​ສາ​ມາດ​ມີ​ປາກ​ມີ​ສຽງ​ໄດ້​.

ໄທ​ໄດ້​ໂຜ່​ໂຕ​ອອກມາ​ຈາກການ​ປົກ​ຄອງ​ຂອງ​ທະ​ຫານ​ທີ່​ແກ່​ຍາວ​ໄປ​ເປັນ​ເວ​ລາ 5 ປີ ພາຍ​ຫລັງ​ທີ່​ມີ​ການ​ເລືອກ​ຕັ້ງທີ່​ຂາດ​ຄວາມບໍ​ລິ​ສຸດໃນ​ເດືອນມີ​ນາ​ຜ່ານ​ມາ ທີ່​ໄດ້​ເຮັດ​ໃຫ້​ບັນ​ດາ​ຜູ້​ນຳ​ການ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ປະ​ຫານ​ໃນ​ປີ 2014 ນັ້ນ ​ກັບ​ຄືນ​ມາ​ກຳ​ອຳ​ນາດ​ອີກຕໍ່​ໄປ. ລັດ​ຖະ​ບານ​ຫະ​ທານ​ໄດ້​ຟ້ອງ​ຮ້ອງ ຫລືບໍ່​ກໍ​ໄດ້​ຈັບ​ກຸມ​ຫລາຍ​ຮ້ອຍ​ຄົນ​ທີ່​ໄດ້​ທຳ​ການ​ປະ​ທ້ວງ​ແບບ​ສັນ​ຕິ​ຕໍ່​ການ​ປົກ​ຄອງຂອງ​ຕົນ ແລະ​ໄດ້​ຕຳ​ໜິ​ພວກ​ທະ​ຫານ​ຊຶ່ງ​ສ່ວນ​ໃ​ຫຍ່​ມັກ​ຈະ​ເຮັດ​ຜ່ານ​ສັງ​ຄົມ​ອອນ​ລາຍນັ້ນ.

ທ່ານ ພຸດ​ທິ​ວົງ​ສາ ພັນນະ​ການ (Buddhipongse Punnakanta), ລັດ​ຖະ​ມົນ​ຕີ​ກະ​ຊ​ວງເສດ​ຖະ​ກິດ​ ແລະ​ສັງ​ຄົມທາງ​ດິ​ຈິ​ຕອນ​ປະ​ກາດ​ວ່າ ການ​ເປີດ​ສູນ​ດັ່ງ​ກ່າວໄດ້​ຖືກໂຈ​ະໄວ້​ໃນ​ເດືອນ​ສິງ​ຫາ​ຜ່ານ​ມາ ໂດຍທີ່​ໄດ້​ເອົາ​ປະ​ເທດ​ໄທເຂົ້າ​ໄປ​ຢູ່​ໃນ​ບັນ​ຊີ​ຂອງ​ບັນ​ດາ​ປະ​ເທດ​ທີ່​ໄດ້​ເພີ້ມ​ຄວາມ​ເຂັ້ມ​ແຂງ​ໃຫ້​ແກ່​ກຳ​ລັງ​ແນວ ໜ້າ​ໃນ​ການ​ຕໍ່​ຕ້ານ​ຂ່າວ​ຂີ້​ຕົວ​ະຢູ່​ໃນ​ຂົງ​ເຂດພາກ​ພື້ນດັ່ງ​ກ່າວ.

​ຫ້ອງ​ການ​ຄຸ້ມ​ຄອງ​ຂ່າວ​ສານ​ແຫ່ງ​ຊາດ​ທີ່​ດຳ​ເນີນ​ງານ​ໂດຍ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ບານ ໃນ​ເວ​ລາ​ຕໍ່​ມາ ກໍ​ໄດ້​ລາຍ​ງາຍ​ວ່າ ສູນ​ດັ່ງ​ກ່າວຈະ​ເປີດ​ຂຶ້ນ​ໃນ​ວັນ​ທີ 1 ພະ​ຈິກ ເພື່ອ​ພິ​ຈາ​ລະ​ນາ​ເບິ່ງ​ຂ່າວ​ທີ່​ໜ້າ​ສົງ​ໄສ​ທີ່​ພົບ​ເຫັນ​ຢູ່​ໃນ​ອິນ​ເຕີ​ແນັດ ແລະ​ຕອບ​ໂຕ້​ຄືນ ຕໍ່​ການເວົ້າ​ບໍ່​ຈິງ​ໃດໆ ທີ່​ຈະ​ທຳ​ລາຍ​ສັນ​ຕິ​ພາບ ແລະ​ຄວາມ​ໝັ້ນ​ຄົງ ໂດຍ​ໃຫ້​ຂໍ້​ມູນ​ຜ່ານ​ທາງ Facebook, ທາງ Line ຊຶ່ງ​ເປັນ​ແອບ​ໃຫ້​ສົ່ງ​ຂໍ້​ຄວາມ, ແລະ​ເວັບ​ໄຊ​ທ໌ ທີ່​ອອກ​ແຮງ​ເຮັດ​ແຕ່​ເລື້ອງນີ້. ຫ້ອງ​ການ​ດັ່ງ​ກ່າວ​ຍັງ​ເວົ້າ​ອີກວ່າ ສູນກາງນັ້ນ​ ຈະ​ເພັ່ງ​ເລັງ​ໃສ່ ໄພ​ພິ​ບັດ, ເສດ​ຖະ​ກິດ ແລະ​ການ​ເງິນ, ຜະ​ລິດ​ຕະ​ພັນ​ດ້ານ​ສຸ​ຂະ​ພາບ ແລະ ສິ່ງ​ທີ່ເປັນ​ຕໍ່​ສຸ​ຂະ​ພາບ, ແລະ​ນະ​ໂຍ​ບາຍ​ຂອງ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ບານ.

ແຕ່​ວ່າ ບັນ​ດາ​ພັກ​ຝ່າຍ​ຄ້ານ ແລະ​ກຸ່ມ​ປັກ​ປ້ອງ​ສິດ​ທິ​ມະ​ນຸດ​ກັບ​ເວົາ​ວ່າ ອີງ​ຕາມ​ປະ​ຫວັດ​ຂອງ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ບານ​ທະ​ຫານ ແລະຂອງ​ລັດ​ຖະ​ບານ​ທີ່​ຂຶນ​ມາ​ແທນ, ທີ່​ນຳ​ພາ​ໂດຍ​ພັກ​ພະ​ລັງ​ປະ​ຊາ ທີ່​ສະ​ໜັບ​ສະ​ໜຸນ​ທະ​ຫານນັ້ນ ​ເຮັດ​ໃຫ້​ມີ​ຄວາມ​ເປັນ​ຫ່ວງຕໍ່​ເລື້ອງນີ້.

ອ່ານ​ຂ່າວນີ້​ເພີ້ມ​ເປັນ​ພາ​ສາອ​ັງ​ກິດ

Rights groups and opposition parties in Thailand are warning that a new center authorities plan to open by next month to combat the spread of fake news online may be misused to target and silence government critics.

Thailand emerged from five years of military rule after tainted elections in March that returned the leaders of a 2014 coup to power. The junta sued or arrested hundreds for peacefully protesting its rule and criticizing the military, often online.

Digital Economy and Society Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta announced the center's pending arrival in August, adding Thailand to the list of countries in the region fortifying their fronts against online fake news.

The state-run National News Bureau of Thailand later reported that the center would open by November 1 to vet dubious news found online and respond to any falsehoods jeopardizing peace and security with the facts via Facebook, the messaging application Line, and a dedicated website. It said the center would focus on natural disasters, the economy and finance, health products and hazards, and government policy.

However, opposition parties and rights groups say the track record of the junta and the government that has replaced it, led by the pro-military Palang Pracharath party, provide reason to worry.

"There are serious concerns that the proposed fake news center of the government will be yet another tool for censorship, because up until now all of the anti-fake news operation of Thai authorities focus exclusively on comments of critics and dissidents ... while taking no action at all against misinformation and hate campaign from sources known to be connected to the military and Palang Pracharath party," said Sunai Phasuk, senior researcher for Human Rights Watch in Thailand.

Buddhipongse's staff told VOA that no one was available to comment for this story.

Another common concern among critics is that the center will combine the government's alleged bias with the power to sue and arrest.

The digital economy minister "has made it clear that the center will work as an interagency coordinating point and [be] authorized to prosecute people with various laws," Sunai said. "So all this combined together are very draconian censorship tools that [the] Thai government has been using over the past five years under military rule. Now those rules have been consolidated into one center."

Arthit Suriyawongkul, co-founder of the Thai Netizen Network, which advocates for online freedom, shared his worry.

"I still hope that they would do the right job. We would love to be positive about this, because in the end ... we do think that fake news and disinformation in general, actually they do some harm," he said, referring in particular of the spread of products speciously claimed to have medicinal value.

Arthit said, however, that authorities have too often applied the "fake news" label to what is really just critical opinion.

"We found that the effort, most of the time, is actually targeted [at] those [who are] anti-government or dissidents in general. And sometimes it's not actually quite clear if [the] information is actually true or false," he said.

"So I think they just use the term [for] their convenience, as an excuse to clamp down [on] expression."

Thailand is not alone.

Lasse Schuldt, a lecturer with the law faculty at Thailand's Thammasat University, said Southeast Asia has become something of a "world's laboratory" for so-called fake news laws.

While Malaysia and Singapore have attracted the most attention for recent legislation taking the issue head-on, he said other countries in the region have their own laws covering fake news. In Thailand, the Computer Crimes Act specifically criminalizes the publication or sharing of false information online.

When Thailand's anti-fake news center is finally up and running, Schuldt said it will be in the company of similarly dedicated operations in Vietnam and Indonesia.

The academic said a multilayered combination of developments was driving the trend, from the viral talk of "fake news" during the 2016 U.S. election to countries in Southeast Asia adopting and adapting the language for their own purposes.

"Local realities influence the discourse as well," he said. "Singapore points in particular to its perceived vulnerability and the prevention of foreign influence. Protracted political division is the background in Thailand. And Vietnam is mostly concerned about the protection of the [Communist] Party and the state."

The spread of fake news via social media has been blamed for sparking deadly clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar and for stoking racial and religious tensions ahead of national elections in Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy, earlier this year.

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