BANGKOK, 1 October 2015 – Assistant National Police Chief Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri has insisted that the single gateway initiative is still in its conceptual stage and is not intended to deprive people of their freedoms while warning dissenters against causing trouble.
Amidst widespread criticism of the single gateway concept, Pol Lt Gen Prawut confirmed that the matter is currently under study by all related agencies and nothing has been decided yet. He explained that the single gateway system would definitely not prevent internet users gaining access to useful websites or general online content.
Instead, the system would aim to filter out any information that could threaten national security, tarnish the image of the Thai monarchy, or contaminate the minds of children.
After a large number of dissenters intentionally flocked to the websites of many state agencies in a bid to cause their servers to crash, Pol Lt Gen Prawut called on those individuals to stop their action, warning that police could identify who they were and they could be subjected to punishments under the Computer Crime Act.
