<fontfamily><param>Arial</param>The Bangkok Post

7 October 2003<bold><color><param>807E,0000,0000</param>

Editorial </color>

<bigger><bigger><bigger>Fight never ends for a free press 

</bigger></bigger></bigger></bold>Last week was almost normal to those

who specialise in trying to secure freedom of speech and the press.

Iranian militiamen seized 14,000 satellite dishes because citizens

might use them to obtain news. The Chinese editor of a biography of US

senator Hillary Clinton not only admitted censoring the Chinese

translation but bragged of it. The United States rejoined Unesco,

after bureaucrats in the United Nations cultural agency ended their

20-year-old battle for a ``new information order'' to license all

journalists. And a loose coalition of dictatorships attempted to

subvert the World Summit on the Information Society in December by

putting all internet facilities under government control. 

WSIS was originally framed to discuss the digital divide around the

world. In general, rich people have reaped the benefits of the

internet and other information technology projects, sometimes to the

detriment of the poor. Similarly, both governments and citizens of

poorer countries have seen fewer IT benefits. Sometimes they have seen

none at all. Sometimes, they have actually fallen back from their

relative positions, compared with neighbours or richer countries. 

This subject alone has more than enough facets to keep world leaders

arguing and proposing solutions to problems for three days. But that

will not satisfy oppressive governments, meddling dictatorships and

censorious regimes. Advance talks to the Dec 10-12 summit in Geneva

reveal a dangerous, hidden agenda. 

Authoritarians seek to have the sponsoring International

Telecommunication Union authorise government control of, and meddling

into, freedom to access the internet and all information technology.

Yoshio Utsumi, the Union secretary-general, is an expert on

information technology and has deep knowledge of the digital divide.

The Union itself was formed as a non-political group which sets world

standards for technology so, for example, a fax machine made in

Thailand will communicate with one made in Latin America. 

Certain governments, including several important and influential ones,

are seeking to use the Union and its ambitious World Summit on the

Information Society to legitimise their own censorious ways. Last

week, the Union found it could not organise a statement of principles

for the summit because of disputes. China and similar governments seek

to sneak in statements and paragraphs that would seem to make the UN

approve of censorship and withholding information. Other governments

and a group of non-government organisations called the civil society

disagree. 

This is not an issue that can be bartered. First Lady Laura Bush

announced the United States was rejoining Unesco as a ``full, active

and enthusiastic participant'' after a 19 year absence. The US,

Britain and Singapore quit the group in protest at its New World

Information Order. Now, with Unesco back on track pressing cultural

and educational exchanges, there is a new attempt to use UN offices

for censorship, via the International Telecommunication Union. 

Thailand has been blindsided by the tricky and underhanded attempts to

subvert the WSIS. The Thai team to the two preparatory meetings in

Geneva has pressed ahead with such issues as better access to

information by the handicapped, more sources of aid to poorer nations

to establish internet connectivity, and help to spread use of

high-speed internet lines to and from the country. The attempt to

subvert WSIS in favour of censorship has made it necessary to hold

another unscheduled preparatory meeting. Thailand must join attempts

to kill off attempts to write pro-censorship clauses into the final

summit statement. Such subversion will widen the digital divide.

Advances in information technology requires a free flow of ideas. 

</fontfamily>