BANGKOK - with its extraordinary "cyber scout" polo shirt with pride, Thattharit Sukcharoen scans Web pages to his computer for comments deemed offensive to the revered Thailand monarchy.
It is one of several dozen volunteers recruited by the Thai justice Ministry to patrol in cyberspace in search of anyone violating the rules of strict lese Majesty of the Kingdom - an offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
"My source of inspiration for be a cyber scout is King." There are several ways to protect the Institute, and it is one of them, "Thattharit, an administrative worker in 39 years at a school in Bangkok, told AFP."
"There are sometimes just fun conversations among adolescents and they think that it is not important, but for those who love the royal Institute, some comments that I see are not appropriate." I must report to the authorities. ?
A boom in online discussion on the Web sites of social media such as Facebook and Twitter is fuelling the political debate and challenge the Thailand long taboo against openly discuss the Royal family.
According to a recent study conducted by Freedom House, a group based in the United States, campaign for democracy and human rights, this change "has attracted more efforts by the Government to control the free flow of information and comments online."
"Ironically, blocking large-scale critical sites of the Royal family dug the politicization of the monarchy in the eyes of many Thai, while increased the restrictions on content and legal harassment contributed to a greater self-censorship in the discussions online"added it.""
The costs are high for Internet users or site publishers Web under the Act.
In March, that a webmaster was imprisoned for 13 years after the website, that he ran - in closer to the opposition movement - insulting comments were published the monarchy.
Another Web site editor is faced to up to 70 years in prison for failing to remove the comments of the drive on the Thai monarchy quickly enough.
Anyone can make a charge of insulting the monarchy and the police have a duty to investigate.
The monarchy is a very sensitive subject in Thailand politically turbulent. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the longest reign in the world and revered as a demigod monarch by many Thai, has been hospitalised since September 2009.
83 Years has no official political role, but is regarded as a unifying figure in a country that was frequently torn by violence policy, especially since the military coup in 2006.
The Thailand has seen an explosion of popularity of social networking sites, fueled by fierce debate over a political crisis that erupted in deadly opposition to Bangkok protests, last year which caused the deaths of 90 people.
In recent years, the Thai Government has removed tens of thousands of web pages of the Internet for allegedly insulting the monarchy, and the scout cyber initiative is the latest attempt to monitor the debate online.
"I think that this project has a political motivation, because the Government considers the Internet as a threat." This is why it is trying to control it, "said Fiona Klangnarong, an activist for freedom of the web with the Thai Netizen network."
"The authorities shut down Web sites and order of the people who posted messages threatening the security of the State or the monarchy, but that they could not block all the and it also affected the human rights of the Thailand image."," she said.
"They had therefore to find a new way to control information by coming up with this project.".
According to site Web www.justice-cyberscout.org of the project, volunteers "will have the duty to monitor the information and the dangerous actions for the security of the country and will protect, defend, and hold the royal Institute in high esteem."
In particular students are invited to register.
Thattharit participated in a day of training to become a scout cyber.
"I have learned about the history of the King, her Majesty, and God how it is... and also how to use a computer, Internet and Facebook,"he says."
The project is in its infancy and so far Thattharit has not reported anybody to the authorities.
He explained that if it finds comments deemed offensive to the King, he plans to contact the person that their assigned to the first to warn them and give them a chance to change their point of viewbefore informing officials.
"Not many people know about the project. Perhaps they think that they talk to a friend because that I not say that I am a scout cyber "he says.
"I feel that I am doing important work." I can give back to the country. ?
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