Hacker Defaces Thailand Ministry’s Website

A hacker has defaced the Website of Thailand's Information and Communications Technology Ministry by pasting a picture of Thaksin Shinawatra along with messages criticizing the government and CNS (Council of National Security).

The hack into the website www.mict.go.th took place just a day after the act of bringing down cyber crime came into effect.

According to ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, the hacker broke into the site on July 19, 2007 morning and changed the background shade to black. Then he posted offensive comments criticizing the "dictatorship" along with an image of the deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Staffs at CAT Telecom and other agencies are assisting in locating the hacker via his computer's IP address, reported the Bangkok Post. Police Colonel Yannaphon Yangyuen, chief of Department of Special Investigation, told The Nation newspaper or the Bangkok Post that after investigation, they found clues of hackers living in Europe. They believe the hackers could be of Thai origin operating in Germany. Bangkokpost.com published this on July 20, 2007.

According to reports from Bangkok Post, the sabotaged website also depicted a message that called on abandoning dictatorship and returning Thailand to its people.

Thaksin, a multi-millionaire businessman, was the prime minister of Thailand between 2001 and 2006. On September 19, 2006, a military coup toppled PM Thaksin. Since then, a military-appointed government was ruling Thailand. And for Thaksin, he is living in exile.

Meanwhile, Thaksin's authoritarian manner of premiership has adversely affected the freedom of the press of Thailand thus leading to its deteriorating position. But the condition has further worsened under the existing government's rule that has been thwarting a number of websites it regards as offensive.

In April 2007, the ICT cut off access to the social site YouTube after it put up a picture of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej considering it humiliating. It has even made those websites inaccessible it considers subversive along with several other pornography sites.

When ICT blocks a website, its official web page usually replaces that site. But this didn't happen on July 19, 2007 when a smiling Thaksin was visible instead.

Related article: Hacker & Virus in MySpace

» SPAMfighter News - 8/3/2007