Thailand: 14 Thai Police Websites Vandalised by “Anonymous” Activists
Activists from the international group “Anonymous” claimed responsibility for taking down 14 Thai Police websites in protest of the sentencing to death of two migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma), SC Magazine reported early January this year. The two Myanmar nationals were convicted last month for the murder of two British tourists in September 2014. The activists have announced their campaign against the local police on December 28th, only four days after the conviction. In a 37-minute-long video and a written statement released several days later, “Anonymous” accuses Thai police of using the migrant workers as a scapegoat to rapidly end the enquiry, and protect the country’s tourism industry. Moreover, the video accused the Thai government of falsifying evidence, extortion, and torture in cases involving the death of tourists.
The Thai police have confirmed the cyber-attacks, and reported databases were not compromised and that no classified information had been leaked.Police spokesman, Dechnarong Suticharnbancha, has announced that they are aware of the attack and have instructed the cyber-crime unit to locate the perpetrators. Suticharnbancha also added that “Even if the source of attack was from abroad, they will be convicted eventually, it’s not a problem. Thai police are excellent”. However, Jompon Pitaksantiyothin from University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, a cyber-crime specialist, seems to believe it would be almost impossible to find the website vandals. “Though the 2007 Computer Crime Act allows police to convict people for actions committed from overseas that cause domestic damage, it is very difficult in practice,” he was quoted saying to a local news site.
The “Anonymous” campaign, which takes place on Twitter under the hashtag #BoycottThailand, comes as part of a wider campaign against Thai government, predominantly for the mistreatment of dogs and elephants in the country.
