The groups led by Arthit Suriyawongkul and Amnesty International Thailand’s director Piyanut Kotsan put up signs with messages such as “Stop single gateway”, “Do not spy” and “Article 14 on libel should not be criminal offence” outside Parliament. They also submitted a petition signed by 40,000 people who joined an online campaign via change.org to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA)’s second vice president Peerasak Porjit.

The groups called on the NLA to suspend the amendment, which they claim causes security issues for Internet users and adversely affected people’s rights and liberties.

Arthit said the amendment to the Computer Crime Act was part of the “digital stability legislation”, which six civic organisations and over 22,000 people earlier demanded be reviewed. The government at the time promised to remove clauses that violated the rights and liberty of people, but reports later showed that the Information and Communications Ministry had come up with the “single gateway” concept, which would effectively allow the state to control all information from overseas.

The amendment to the act was reviewed and forwarded for Cabinet approval on April 21. The Cabinet approved the legislation, and the NLA gave the amendment the green light in its first reading and set up a committee to scrutinise the bill.

Arthit said his group wanted the committee to amend Articles 14 and 15 and remove Article 20.

Piyanut said she was concerned that some of the articles blocked people’s freedom of expression via electronic media and also violated people’s privacy, which should be guaranteed by international human rights standards. She said the proposed legislation also restricted political and civil rights, which goes against international rules defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Thailand signed in 1996.

Peerasak said he would submit the petition to the panel scrutinising the bill on the second and third readings, and that the Citizens Network can meet the committee to explain its objections.