midnight university incident

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 . 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
Date: Sep 30, 2006 2:59 PM
Subject: Closure - The Minightuniv web
To: keiko

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