<p>The Thai authorities should drop all charges against human rights defender and web forum moderator Chiranuch Premchaiporn, whose trial continues this week, Amnesty International said today.</p>

<p>Chiranuch Premchaiporn's trial over computer crime charges began yesterday and attracted some 40 supporters and observers, all of whom are interested to see how this case against the freedom of expression pans out. The accused is the director of the non-profit online newspaper Prachatai.com.</p>

<p>The trial has begun in the Criminal Court of Thanthawut Thaweewarodomkul, allegedly the administrator of www.norporchorusa.com.</p> <p><em>(Note: some changes have been made and more details added to the news report)</em></p>

<p>The trial of the Prachatai Director started with testimony from an official from the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology as a prosecution witness.&nbsp; About 40 Thais and foreigners attended the hearing.</p>

<p>The criminal court will conduct the witness hearings on the case of Ms. Chiranuch Premchaiporn from 4 to 17 February 2010. Ms. Chiranuch will appear as the defendant, while the Office of the Special Attorney on Criminal Case 8 which is under Office of the Attorney-General will appear as the prosecutor. This case deals with the penalty related to the intermediary under the Section 15 of the Computer Crime Act which is related to supporting or consenting to an offence related to national security within a computer system under the intermediary’s control.<br /></p>

<p>The Criminal Court has dropped the case against a woman alleged to have posted offensive messages on the Prachatai webboard in 2008, citing inconclusive evidence, thus giving her the benefit of the doubt.&nbsp; </p>

<p>Since the enforcement of the Computer Crime Act in July 2007, there have been 185 cases in relations to the CCA up to July 2010. There have been 117 court orders to block access to 74,686 URLs. </p>

<p>Minister of Information and Communications Technology Juti Krairiksh said that on 18 Oct he invited 17 internet service providers (ISPs) to a meeting to ask for their cooperation in blocking improper websites which were found to have been increasing in number, over 82% of them being offensive against the monarchy containing doctored images.&nbsp; Only 7 ISPs showed up at the meeting.</p> <p>The cause of the increase of such websites has yet to be determined, the Minister said.</p>

<p>The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) has sent an open letter to PM&nbsp;Abhisit Vejjajiva, expressing its concerns over the ongoing suppression of freedom of expression in Thailand and calling on him to look into the issue as he has always promised to do.</p>

<p>BANGKOK Oct.2 -- The arrest and legal procedure of the case against Prachatai director Chiranuch Premchiaporn were both unfair and unlawful, said Chiranuch&rsquo;s attorney.</p> <p>Chiranuch&rsquo;s lawyer Anon Nampa, who drove from Saraburi province to accompany her during the interrogation at Khon Kaen provincial police station in Northeastern Thailand, said the charges against her are too severe and constitute unjustifiable use of law.</p> <p>&ldquo;The charges are filed at random,&rdquo; Anon said. &ldquo;It clearly is political slandering.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Chiranuch Premchaiporn, director of prachatai.com, an online newspaper, which is regarded by some as being pro-red and has been blocked since April, was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport last Friday on charges of lese majeste and violating the computer crime law over comments posted by other users. Upon returning from a seminar on cyber liberty in Hungary, she was driven straight to Khon Kaen province to face charges filed against her two years ago. She is now out on Bt200,000 bail and tells The Nation's Pravit Rojanaphruk about her ordeal. Here are some excerpts:</p>

<p>The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that Ms. Chiranuch Premchaiporn, director of Prachatai online newspaper, was detained by the immigration police at Suvarnabhumi Airport, in Samutprakarn province near Bangkok, and transferred to Khon Kaen police station, in northeastern Thailand. She has been charged with violating the Computer Crimes Act BE.2550 (2007) and Articles 112 and 116 of the Criminal Code BE.2499 (1956) (section of the code relating to les&egrave; majest&eacute;).</p>