The five organisations are Amnesty International, International Federation for Human Rights, Fortify Rights, International Commission of Jurists and Lawyers Rights Watch Canada.
The official statement can be found on https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/ASA3950402016ENGLISH.pdf
Piyanuch Kotan, director of Amnesty International (Thailand), said the organisations were concerned that the amendment could limit the already deteriorating freedom of speech in the country.
The watchdog spelled out that the proposed amendment of Article 14 gives an overly broad definition of the term “false information” that when posted online can breach the law. The definition is subject to different interpretations by authorities and will ultimately affect people’s right to expression.
She went on to say that the punishment was not just limited to computer users only, but also to Internet providers. This could prompt providers to launch self-censorship measures, Piyanuch said.
Apart from violating freedom of expression, Piyanuch pointed out that the law, if successfully amended, could also pose a threat to the privacy of computer users.
She explained that this law would authorise the state to easily access personal information or data of anybody they suspect of committing a computer crime. Together with the overly broad interpretation, the authorities could almost arbitrarily intrude on people’s privacy, she pointed out.
Piyanuch also said that these actions were inconsistent with Thailand’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which the country is a state party.
Hence, she said, human-rights organisations have no option but to call on the NLA to reconsider the amendment and comply with international human rights principles.