<nettime> Important Thai education site closed

["Keiko Sei" <keikosei@gmail.com>]

Hello,

  This mail is sent by Bcc. As you know, there was coup d'etat in 
Thailand on Sept.19. Despite the attempt by the military council to 
portrait it as a friendly coup, they are imposing censorship in various 
fields. Recently they closed the important on-line education site, 
Midnight University <www.midnightuniv.org>. This on-line education has 
been created for those people who cannot afford to go to higher 
education to be informed and empowered. It is one of the most 
enlightening media in Thailand, and I contribute to them, too, for free 
and copyleft, as I support their object. In fact this is the second 
time they are closed down by the authority: the first time because by 
the Thaksin government, and this time because they are critical towards 
the coup and the military council. The closure of their site seriously 
obstructs educational process of millions of people who depend on them, 
blocking the free flow of information and exchange of people's ideas, 
and is a total setback of democratic process of the country, just like 
the coup d'etat is. I would appreciate if you help their petition 
campaign by adding your name and circulate their message to your 
friends. Thank you very much for your constant help for the democratic 
path of South East Asia.

  Keiko


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: somkiat tangnamo < midnightuniv@gmail.com>
Date: Sep 30, 2006 2:59 PM
Subject: Closure - The Minightuniv web
To: keikosei@gmail.com



Dear Keiko Sei

The Midnight University Website, the foremost free and critical
educational and public intellectual website in Thailand with over
freely accessible 1,500 scholarly articles, a lively webboard with
ongoing thought-provoking debates, which receives well over 2.5 visits
per month from viewers around the world, has already been shut down
by the Thai Information & Communications Ministry last night, acting
under the order of the self-styled military Council of Democratic
Reform. This is not only a hugh loss to academic and intellectual
freedom in Thai society, but also a closure of a free forum for the
contention of ideas to find a peaceful alternative to violent conflict
in Thailand.

We are gathering signatures for a campaign to pressure for the
reversion of this unjustifiable violation of the Thai people's right
to information and free expression by the Thai authorities. So, please
consider adding your and your firiends' names to the end of this
message and e-mail it back to me so that we could save what little is
left of precious freedom and wisdom in Thai society in these dark and
difficult times.

Sincerely,

Somkiat Tangnamo




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