Issue 24 Cyber Security and Surveillance in Southeast Asia Oct 2012

24 ISSUE

Cyber Security and Surveillance in Southeast Asia enabling security in cyber society Urban security is not secure Social media to boost up civic engagement: rethinking e-government Interview with Dr. SETTAPONG MALISUWAN Infographic: HEALTH CARE & CYBER SECURITY

EDITORIAL

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BY

MR. KAN YUENYONG P A G E

3 Enabling Security in Cyber Society

By Colonel Dr. Teeranan Nandhakwang

P A G E

6 Urban Security Is Not Secure

By Dr. Apiwat Ratanawaraha And Mr. Witchaya Pruecksamars

P A G E

9 Social Media to boost up Civic Engagement: Rethinking E-Government

By Dr. Kasititorn Pooparadai

P A G E 12 INTERVIEW WITH Dr. Settapong Malisuwan

P A G E 14 INFOGRAPHIC: Health Care & Cyber Security

By Infographic of the Month

Transforming from a labor-intensive to a knowledge-intensive economy requires an upgrading of ICT infrastructure and innovation capacity.

Some countries in Southeast Asia are catching-up with the other leading nations by launching ICT Megaprojects, e.g. Malaysia Multimedia Super Corridor or MSC (a national ICT initiative designed to attract world-class technology companies to locate facilities in their country), and Singapore ONE (a universal access to broadband project launched in 1998). Some people in this region have already found themselves living the digital life already. For example, Bangkokians have recently been reported to be the top Facebook users in Southeast Asia. While the region is still faced with a gap in the digital divide, cyber security has emerged as another critical issue for the future of regional telecommunications, social and economic development, human rights, community learning, and civic participation. The current centralized and top-down style of Southeast Asia government will be challenged by issues like digital rights (privacy and free expression) and governmental power (censorship and surveillance). With the rapid pace of technological and social change, new e-engagement will emerge from multi-stakeholder involvement apart from the governing incumbents, namely ICT providers, large corporations, technologists, academics, and civil society, as well as cyber-citizens, very soon.

The first article by Colonel Dr.Teeranan Nandhakwang on “Enabling Security in Cyber Society” acts like a time travel machine from the present of the regional security sector to the future of cyber security.

He discusses the uneven development and mismatch between the cold war and cyber society paradigm that have been triggered by various driving forces. Among various grand challenges, the article gives us signals for change from the potential for a harmful attack from nature caused by climate change to cyber security, the juggling between cyber censorship and individual freedom, and the paradigm shift towards a healthy cyber society through a convergence of non-traditional security and human security.

The second article by Dr. Apiwat Ratanawaraha and Mr. Witchaya Pruecksamars describes how urban security has been changed and been commoditized in the real world as “a freemium” for middle class people. An embedding of information and communication technology (ICT) will lower the costs and connect surveillance of their assets online.

The third article by Dr. Kasititorn Pooparadai on “Social Media to boost up Civic Engagement: Rethinking E-Government” updates us on the power of social media to accelerate the shift from a traditional e-Participation focused on government designed websites and ICT tools, into a more open and interactive citizen-centered approach. It sends an alarming signal that the arrival of the real challenge for national and regional cyber security will come sooner rather than later. This article focuses on the identification of warning signs from various recent evidence of civic engagement.

In this issue, we interviewed Dr.Settapong Malisuwan, an elected vice chairman and board member on the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). He gives an overview of cyber security in Southeast Asia, NBTC’s role regarding the issue, and how ICT can improve the poverty situation in the region. Infographic illustrates the possibility of a linkage between the cyber security problem and public health care. Problems such as the violation and fraud committed with 7.8 million records of personal medical information are not negligible anymore.

Disclaimer : The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of Noviscape Consulting Group or the Rockefeller Foundation.

Copyright © Trendsoutheast 2009 - 2012. All Rights Reserved.

COLONEL DR. TEERANAN NANDHAKWANG

KEYWORDS:

IDEA Looking into the cold war period, one of the major threats to the country was a conflict between nations. “National security” had become a mainstream paradigm, in which most of countries administration took the security sector and its operating mechanisms to handle their threat issues, by a centralization of control over mass communication. In Southeast Asia, there were many geopolitical events that perfectly illustrate the regional security atmosphere during the time of the cold war very well, e.g. the Malaysian Peninsula communist uprising between the years of the 1950s and 1960s, the incomplete Domino Effect from the Vietnamese and Cambodian Civil wars during the late 1970s and 1980s, and the end of Thailand communist insurgency in the 1990s (Slater, 1993; Comber, 2009 & Chambers, 2011). While this mainstream security paradigm has continuously dominated the organizational mindset of key regional authorities, the arrival of the New Millennium gave the world a new global security domain issue - cyber security. There has been increasing evidence that the existing paradigm may not fit very well in coping with this new vulnerability. At this moment, cyber security is a far-fetched and irrelevant issue for the poor and vulnerable, but with a high penetration rate for individual ICT connection, and more and more public and private sectors connecting themselves with the cyberspace; it is very likely that Southeast Asia will become a prime target. In the near future, everybody will be affected by a cyber-threat when it compromises “human security”.

SCENARIOS AND EARLY INDICATORS Digitization and New Threat: Changing Contexts in a Transitional Period

Security sector; new media; non-traditional security; comprehensive security; cyber society; new threat; climate change; cyber terrorism; counter narrative; human security

able when they are faced with telecommunication failures. Most of the post-disaster management priority addresses reestablishing services after the impact, while anticipating the impact of disasters on computer networks, particularly on the possibility of a disaster that may trigger additional disasters that may lead to more network failures, still receive very little attention (Abbas et al., 2012). In this sense, a natural attack will be another major source for cyber security in the region.

An Invisible Threat: A Shift towards Non-Traditional Security An on-going increase in non-traditional incidences and threats to security are growing. Most of the governments of many countries have been using national security as a major school of thought (See Figure 1). However, the security sector is still the mechanism to engage with the threats. Whether traditional threats or non-traditional threats, they are using the same means by blocking and censorship.

This may not be appropriate in the way of problem solving techniques.

Blocking or censorship is a method that controls or suppresses the publishing of, or the access to information on the Internet. This may be directed by governments or by private organizations at the request of the government, regulators, or on their own idea. However, the blocking or censorship method is turning into verities of opinions with arguments being made for and against censorship. Netizens will claim that governments do not have the right to perform Internet Censorship because of freedom of speech.

Countries may filter sensitive content on an on-going basis and/or introduce temporary filtering during key time periods such as elections. In some cases the censoring authorities may surreptitiously block content to mislead the public into believing that censorship has not been applied. This is achieved by returning a fake “Not Found” error message when an attempt is made to access a blocked website.

After the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union, many countries around the world were faced with new issues of globalization, and the rise of the information era. Crossing the world, telecommunication and the internet can facilitate communication across time and space. The world already changed when an ordinary individual became capable of accessing, sending, and receiving information much faster than ever before. The new occurrence of new media makes it possible for anyone to create, modify, and share content with others, using relatively simple tools that are often free or inexpensive. New media merely requires a computer or mobile device with Internet access. Therefore, people can communicate with each other easily in real time from anywhere on the Earth. There are no boundaries or barriers if people are destined to connect with others.

The extent of Internet Censorship varies on a country-to-country basis.

Moreover, some countries have little Internet Censorship, while other countries go as far as to limit the access of information to such matters as the news and suppress discussion among the internet population.

Internet Censorship also occurs in response to or in keenness of events such as elections, protests, and riots. Governments across Southeast Asia share different degrees of authoritarian style digital censorship. Governmental monitoring on internet usage and international site blockages can be seen in Burma, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam (Doherty, 2010). It is likely that censorship will be increased due to the events of the Arab Spring, Thailand’s Political Turmoil, and Myanmar political unrests.

This rapid growth in the digitization of nations has significant implications to national security in an unfamiliar manner – particularly when we take mother earth into the calculation. For example, a natural disaster already presents new threats to Southeast Asian security, particularly to society and livelihoods. At this moment, the authorities are still focused on physical mitigation to these threats. These can be seen from the recent haze fire situation in Indonesia and Thailand, and flood management in the Philippines and Thailand. Any individual with a personal wireless or internet access and disaster management agencies, become very vulner-

There will be more argument and more ambivalence in Internet Censorship. To stabilize the society is also vital. Countries may filter sensitive content on an on-going basis and/or introduce temporary filtering during key time periods such as the crisis situation. On the other hand, freedom of expression is the political right to communicate one’s opinions and ideas via speech. Because of the freedom of expression, it is recognized in international and regional human rights law. However, to stabilize Cyber-societies, Cyber Security is also an important issue. Therefore, which is the more appropriate method to enable security on a freedom-from-fear cyber society?

Disclaimer : The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of Noviscape Consulting Group or the Rockefeller Foundation.

Copyright © Trendsoutheast 2009 - 2012. All Rights Reserved.

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Figure 2: Past, Present and Future of Cyber Society

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Figure 1: Paradigm Shift in Security Sector

Note: Author’s elaboration Note: Author’s elaboration

Present and Future: Emerging trends and threats in Cyber Society The Cyber Society is where there are no borders, no national sovereignty, and no political disputes; moreover, people can have a discussion about any issue freely (See Figure 2). The members of the Cyber Society are, namely, the Netizens. Many scholars claim that the Netizens have their Rights, such as the right to exist in peace, right to freedom of speech, right to own and maintain Cyber Assets, etc. On the other hand, the state may have the right to provide any number of community services, such as Cyber Policing, Cyber Judiciary, etc.

Conversely, a major concern of the Cyber Society is not only Netizens’ Right, but also Cyber Security, because Cyber-attacks can take many forms and have serious consequences. Individuals can be bankrupted or have their identities stolen; businesses can be robbed of confidential information and intellectual property; military and national security operations can be compromised; and the systems that control critical infrastructure, such as our power grids, water treatment plants, and telecommunications networks, can be disrupted.

Dealing with cyber threats in isolation is not enough.

An additional concern, Cyber Space is also being used as the key element in sustaining the morale of the terrorist organizations, to mobilize operations and use information technology to organize and execute attacks against physical facilities and networks, computer systems, and telecommunications infrastructures, or for exchanging information or making threats electronically. This is called Cyber Terrorism. There is much concern from government about how to counter Cyber Terrorism, because terrorist groups can stay anywhere in the world, and also use the Internet as a powerful tool of communication to connect to others.

Currently, terrorist organizations use narratives as an instrument for sustaining their ideology. It starts from rumors, and after that it develops to narratives. Afterward, narratives are developed to beliefs, and then faith. When narratives are transformed to be believed and have faith in, terrorist organizations can assign people to a terrorist mission who believe and have faith in the mission. Hence, many scholars have mentioned that Cyber Society must consist of the mechanism to counter Cyber Terrorists.

For that reason, government should get along with Netizen to find a

practical way. Because the idea of Freedom of Speech without any restrictions may harm Society, Cyber Terrorists will use Freedom of Speech for putting their agenda ahead of what they actually want.

This is a challenge for government and Netizens to balance between cyber security and human security issues.

IMPLEMENTATIONS Ensuring Security on the Cyber Environment • Natural disaster can be considered as another potential threat to cyber security, Southeast Asia will face more large-scale natural disasters caused by climate change. This can be a bridge between people from the “national security” school and the “human security” school to join hands and work together on this trans-disciplinary areas – climate change and cyber security.

• Media convergence will change the previous patterns of behavior and make the society more complex. It causes the fragmentation of audiences for news. Convergence will lead the media to be more interactive and audience participation will be more encouraged. Greater audience engagement can help to enhance the way people experience the media.

Subsequently, each person can access content anywhere and anytime. This will be difficult to handle.

• For Cyber Security reasons, government, civil society and Netizens should find any means possible to deal with the issues together. Censorship Policy may be fine with mainstream media, but it works only for some cases on Cyber Society.

Many scholars have proposed the concept self-regulation to organize Cyber Society; however, there are no concrete solutions. Whenever people realize more that Security Awareness is vitally important, stabilizing Cyber Society will take place, and then, Cyber Society will become secure. People will prepare themselves for responding to the new threats.

Consequently, these will be a foundation for self-regulation and help to increase the level of Cyber Security in the near future.

Disclaimer : The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of Noviscape Consulting Group or the Rockefeller Foundation.

Copyright © Trendsoutheast 2009 - 2012. All Rights Reserved.

• In addition, Counter Narrative is also imperative. The terrorist narrative will shake the cyber society, and can also lead them to conducting any threats to the real world and Cyber Society. Therefore, governments should pay attention to Counter Narratives more than blocking and censorship measures.

• Government should be aware of any decisions before launching any Cyber policy and regulation. Cyber Policing should cooperate with civil society actors and Netizens to ensure participation. Therefore, countries in Southeast Asia should pay more attention to Cyber Security concerns.

DRIVERS • Over the past decade, Southeast Asia has been faced with more natural disasters, particularly haze fire and water (floods and Tsunami). These disasters have had an indirect effect on computer networks, when they damage the telecommunication infrastructure. The region has more connectivity and depends heavily on the Internet and computer-based communication. Any large scale-damage to computer networks will cause a negative impact for people at the location of the disaster, particularly the poor and vulnerable.

• For these days, media convergence is a new concept that is becoming more and more a vital element of life for many people. This idea has come from the development of technology in different platforms and operations such as television, Internet and mobile communication. Media convergence is creating a new media age. Because content is becoming increasingly in digital format, whatever the signal’s type, it can be converged onto the same platform.

• Currently, Netizens are not immune to the threats. Providing knowledge is the first priority for launching Security Awareness to society.

• According to Cyber Crime and Cyber Terrorist issues, Netizens should be aware of misinformation and disinformation which is a normally used by criminals or terrorists to conduct their operations.

INHIBITORS • The growing number of Netizens is having a significant impact on the real world, because of the connection between the real world and the virtual one. Lacking of an understanding and using old perception can lead to conflict.

REFERENCES Abbas, R. A., Mohd RosMadi, M., Sulaiman, R., Othman, Z. A., and Mohd Zin, A. (2012). Impact of Disasters in Southeast Asia on Malaysian Computer Networks, Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, Vol. 37, No.2.

Retrieved from http://www.jatit.org/volumes/Vol37No2/5Vol37No2.pdf Chambers, P. (2011). Where Agency Meets Structure: Understanding Civil-Military Relations in Contemporary Thailand, Asian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 19, Iss. 3. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02185 377.2011.628150 Comber, L. (2009). The Origins of the Cold War in Southeast Asia: The Case of the Communist Party of Malaya (1948-1960): A Special Branch Perspective, ISEAS Working Paper: Politics & Security Series No. 1.

Retrieved from http://www.iseas.edu.sg/ips12009.pdf Doherty, B. (October 21, 2010). Silence of the dissenters: How south-east Asia keeps web users in line: Vietnam, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines are all moving towards Chinese-style internet censorship, The Guardian.

Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/oct/21/internetweb-censorship-asia Slater, J. (1993). Domino Theory and International Politics: The Case of Vietnam, Security Studies Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 186 – 224.

Retrieved from http://digilib.bc.edu/reserves/po825/craw/po82509.pdf Von Feigenblatt, O. F. (2010). Human Security in the Asia Pacific Region: Security Challenges, Regional Integration, and Representative Case Studies, Jaipur, India. Yking Books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Col. Dr. Teeranan Nandhakwang is a Security and Military Analyst in Thailand. His previous appointments were as a counter-terrorist assault team leader, System Analyst Officer, Command and Control System’s Network Engineer, Instructor at Peace Operations Center, and Research Fellow at Strategic Studies Center. He joined the National Defense College, Royal Thai Armed Forces Head Quarters in 2010, and has been the Deputy Director of Political and Military Affairs Division since. He is also currently a Court-martial Judge and a webmaster of the Tortaharn website, which is well-known for carrying content on national security and strategy in Thailand.

Disclaimer : The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of Noviscape Consulting Group or the Rockefeller Foundation.

Copyright © Trendsoutheast 2009 - 2012. All Rights Reserved.

BY DR. APIWAT RATANAWARAHA Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Chulalongkorn University

6

IS

Commoditization and professionalization of security services

AND

MR. WITCHAYA PRUECKSAMARS Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Chulalongkorn University

IDEA Security is inextricably linked to poverty, inequities, and social exclusion. The poor and disadvantaged people are more vulnerable to crime and insecurity than the rich and middle class, partly because their livelihoods take place in public spaces where protection is not guaranteed. Securitization, i.e. ways of upholding security, is more than just beefing up the police force or merely outsourcing to private actors. Under this term there are a few underlying trends in Southeast Asia that are worth investigating.

TRENDS AND SCENARIOS Security is a complex and multi-faceted concept. It can refer to a number of aspects, ranging from national security to food security. For the purpose of this article, security refers to the prevention and protection from intentional crime and physical violence, but excludes terrorism. Arguably, insecurity is as strongly associated with poverty as much as security is linked to wealth. However, as if preparing for an imaginary siege, those who can afford security would simply wall themselves off from their surroundings and social others. Not only does this demarcation legitimize the segregation of urban life, it also fragments the city and turns urban dwellers inward, into private vehicles, homes, offices, and shopping malls.

Urban security as a club good Rather than relying on formal policing, the middle-class and more affluent citizens in Southeast Asia will continue to hire private security guards to look over their neighborhoods.

Gates and guards have long been preferred, especially in the suburban private communities, and closed complexes in urban cores – almost like fortresses, these places are designed to be “defensible”, i.e. they are surrounded by walls, and typically have only one or two access points controlled 24-hours by security guards, complemented by electronic security systems.

Fingerprint readers are already used in a number of gated communities in the Philippines and Thailand. The prevailing mentality is that having such a defensible space is much more effective than relying on surveillance (better safe than sorry, so they say). However, the thin line between security and segregation is often inadvertently crossed.

KEYWORDS:

Urban security; gated communities; commoditization and professionalization of security services; security “freemium”; community crime watch

service provided freely and equitably by the state), safety and security are closer to being luxury, private goods, or a club good that excludes others from benefitting. This is most evident in the ubiquity of security guards and the physical demarcation of gated communities around the region.

Security Freemium Urban security is becoming a “freemium” product, for which city residents may get the basic service for free (at least not directly out of their pockets), but they need to pay more to receive additional, advanced features. Maintaining security for urban spaces thus comes at a price, quite literally – paying to get the much-needed police visibility is a common code of conduct. Take goldsmith shops in Thailand for an example.

They give some tokens of appreciation, as it were, directly to local policemen from time to time in order to receive regular visits and patrols. Similarly, some houses in a gated community in Thailand put the money for the police into a locked postbox (ghlong daeng in Thai), which are accessible only to the local policeman and the owner of the house.1 Of course, this raises questions over the role of the police, and whether this kind of arrangement comes at the expense of the broader public security, particularly in those areas where the poor and vulnerable populations live and work.

On top of stationary guards and CCTVs, police inspections are common for Thai goldsmith shops. Source: manager.co.th. June 29, 2012

Not everyone can enjoy such peace of mind. Surveillance and crime protection for low-income communities and informal settlements, where crime rates tend to be higher than in other areas, are often done on a voluntary basis, such as neighborhood crime watches. Collaboration with and support from the authorities remains minimal. For most of the time, other methods for ensuring safety and security, such as installing CCTVs, are simply inappropriate or unaffordable for them.

In that sense, instead of being a public good (i.e. a welfare 1 2 3 4 5 6

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Based on interview by author http://www.sea-globe.com/Business/the-business-of-security.html Based on interview by author http://www.nationejobs.com/citylife/content.php?ContentID=127 http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2011/12/28/money/legalised-nepalis-in-malaysia-qualify-for-security-guard-jobs/229802.html http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Malaysia++says+no+to+foreign+security+guards&NewsID=243049

Partly due to urban sprawl and the rapid increase in urban population, formal policing in the region is being rendered inadequate. It is thus not surprising that, given the lack of supply, the region’s private security business is growing strongly. The Asian Professional Security Association (APSA) estimates that the value of the safety and security market will reach USD 3 billion in 2016, representing a growth of 7.5% per annum.

The region’s largest market is Thailand, with nearly 4,000 private companies that account for about one-third of the total regional value, followed by Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.2 And as the market becomes more competitive, companies will strive to become more professional – particularly by standardizing and improving their quality of services, as opposed to offering lower prices.

Security employees nowadays are better trained, better equipped, better managed, and better monitored. For instance, prospective Thai security guards nowadays need to go through 2-4 days of seminar and training to learn about protocols and best practices. Examples from abroad are usually cited during the classes, since many leaders in the sector are multinationals. Moreover, the companies are relying more on electronic devices to ensure that their employees carry out given duties in a proper and timely manner. An example of such a tool is the “barcode reader” – the guard on duty has to scan a set of “barcodes,” installed on each floor or in front of each housing unit, at certain times to guarantee that surveillance is carried out.3 This should be seen in comparison to the not-so-professional ad hoc security guards (known as yharm in Thai). The responsibilities of whom, on top of being at the entrance booth around the clock and carrying out somewhat casual inspections of the neighborhood, include tending the garden, carrying out janitorial duties, running errands, and whatever else he/she is asked to do.

From the salary perspective, being a security guard will continue to be considered as one of the most lucrative jobs available for the low-income. Many of them are conscripted veterans who have limited skill sets but are disciplined, and ex-farmers who either have somehow lost their productive land back home, or need extra cash to send back to their family. In 2007, the average monthly salary of Thai security guards was 8,700 Baht, which was already considered as a competitive salary compared to other informal jobs.4 Nowadays, most guards in Bangkok get around 15,000 Baht. However, it is important to note that the pay hike is predominantly due to the Thai government policy of “300 Baht minimum wage”, which came into force just in April this year. In addition, from the employment perspective it is easy to enter this occupation or switch companies. Little formal education qualifications are required if at all, and only a few days of training are needed.

Furthermore, illegal employment in the security sector will be reduced. In 2010, for example, Malaysian firms were banned from hiring foreigners, mostly Nepalese, as security guards. But since late last year, the Malaysian government has relaxed its stance and allowed foreigners to get these jobs, although only for a maximum period of two years. An amnesty program was also launched to encourage illegal migrants to come forward. It is expected that thousands of prospective and illegal Nepalese who hope to work as security guards in Malaysia will benefit from this.5, 6, 7

7 8 9 10 11 12

Policing with cameras Electronic security systems are gradually replacing manpower.

There will be a sustained increase in demand for security services, particularly more in the area of electronic systems than in security guards. Most new construction projects in Thailand are allocating more of their budgets to the installation of security systems. For Thai companies, the current expenditure ratio between security guards and electronic systems sits at around 80:20, but it is expected to balance out at 60:40 in the coming years, which would be similar to Malaysia and Singapore. Financial institutions are also contributing to this trend by heavily investing in the development of information security and electronic security systems.8 Although the police and city authorities are becoming more tech-savvy, Big-Brother-style police and surveillance that engulf London and other western cities is less likely to happen here soon. This is because such experiments have resulted in limited success, and often with controversy. With the implementation of the City Safe Project in 2011, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) claimed to have finished installing 10,000 CCTV cameras. But as it turns out, less than a tenth were actually installed, with many of them being “dummies” or fake cameras.9 Significantly, citizen surveillance is more widespread. Mobile devices are being increasingly used to maintain security. Indeed, there have been a few instances recently where abuse and neglect by security personnel were also candidly captured on CCTV and mobile phone. In Malaysia a scene of a female getting mugged in broad daylight in front of her apartment building, a gated community, was captured on CCTV. The video caused a stir, but only because there was a security guard there – whose job security was not so secure anymore after the incident – whom decided to stand by and watch the whole crime instead of helping the victim.10 Moreover, at one of Bangkok’s mass-transit Skytrain stations, a foreigner was allegedly bashed in the head with a baton by a security guard for going against the rules – for trying to bring his daughter’s toy party balloons onto the train, that is.11 The commotion was captured on a mobile phone and uploaded onto the Internet by a bystander. These two cases illustrate that, whether by the lack of professionalism, or by unyielding over-professionalism, urban life is not necessarily more secure with the presence of security guards, even when seen in the light of the professionalization trend of security services mentioned above. Of course, none of these cases would have been known had it not been for the electronic devices and their users, whose endeavor was to watch the watchers, so to speak.

IDEAS FOR INTERVENTIONS GIS-based tools for surveying and responding to crime Good examples of initiatives that utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are being seen in the Philippines, particularly in the cities of Manila, Cordillera and Baguio.

For example, a new GIS crime mapping system called “Safe City Monitoring System” was adopted as part of the country’s on-going efforts to ensure that crime prevention initiatives are on track and sustainable.12 A set of GIS-based tools for more accurate crime analysis and internal security operation was

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/28/nation/10553399&sec=nation http://www.sea-globe.com/Business/the-business-of-security.html http://bk.asia-city.com/city-living/article/cctv_timeline http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/malaysian-woman-mugged-while-guard-watches_n_1557172.html http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/BTS-apologises-for-guards-clash-with-Irish-passeng-30178547.html http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2011/apr/13/malaysia-adopts-new-gis-crime-mapping-system/

8 also developed with the assistance and support of civilian engineers and students from different colleges and universities in the region. Moreover, the “E-Blotter” system and the “Mobile Tracking System of Patrol Vehicles” in the region have been incorporated to further improve the police’s response time on any incident.13 And with the help of this new system, local patrol vehicles can be monitored for easier dispatch in any incident, accident, or disaster-hit areas. However, it is important to note that the institutional arrangement must keep up with technological improvement; for instance, more policemen should be placed at the front-line to match up with the enhanced policing capabilities through the GIS-based tools.

Otherwise, none of the mentioned tools would mean anything.

Community-oriented or neighborhood-based policing Voluntary community-level surveillance and crime prevention initiatives are often born out of necessity. It is quite costly, especially in terms of energy and time. Communities in Indonesia have seen some successful cases of neighborhood-based security organizations.14 They are successful because they have managed to move beyond trust-based arrangements.

They are registered with and are acknowledged by the police, with whom they work closely. In addition to maintaining security, they bring structural changes and social legacy to the community.

In the Philippines, Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that aims to create defendercommunity collaborations to improve public safety, government accountability, and reduce the number of victims.15 CCW creates an alliance of citizens working with government agencies to address the growing crime problem in the community. CCW takes a holistic approach to enhancing community security and safety. Its programs not only encourage citizens to fight crime together, but also involve them in civic actions, environmental initiatives, cultural and other activities that would promote social cohesion. Through CCW, citizens are educated in areas such as personal protection, home security, crime reporting, and human and peace development programs. Also in the Philippines, an eCrime system has been experimented with in Marikina City. The system includes an Electronic Crime Reporting System and an Electronic Court, which uses computer facilities to record criminal complaints and to expedite judicial processes.

In Bangkok, the city’s Traffic and Transportation Department and district police stations are implementing a project that trains as many as 5,000 motorcycle taxi groups in 50 districts in Bangkok to be part of the city’s security and surveillance volunteer networks. Motorcycle taxi groups serve specific locations and neighborhoods, and are familiar with the areas, so much so that they are often the first to spot any irregularities in the neighborhoods’ normal routine. This is part of the city’s project to train as many as 150,000 volunteers in its “City Protection Volunteers” project.

Security-enhancing urban planning and design Urban planning and design can play an important part in curbing shady activities and securing public spaces. It has long been demonstrated that certain design principles can bring about informal and inexpensive, but effective security.

However, the current planning and development approaches in Southeast Asia have led to more spatial segregation, re13 14 15

9 enforcing social exclusion and marginalization. Urban security could be enhanced by securing affordable housing, restoring livelihoods, and providing assessable public space. The public-ness of public space, for instance, would evaporate if the space is tightly monitored and controlled, i.e. as a way of securing the space. The key here is to facilitate bottom-up/ demand-driven modifications of the built environment, so that the level of security is appropriate to the use of space.

DRIVERS & INHIBITORS • Social and economic inequities are the fundamental source for urban insecurity. This means without reducing inequities and poverty, urban insecurity is likely to remain. Community development and slum upgrading, land tenure and housing security, and other development initiatives would in one way or another help reduce crime and increase urban security.

• Illicit drug use, sale, and trafficking will continue to plague low-income neighborhoods, making the poor even more vulnerable to insecurity and violence. Other underground activities have similar negative effects on urban security.

REFERENCES

• Good governance, particularly at the street level, is a must for cities and neighborhoods to fight crime. Urban security will be difficult to achieve in the presence of corruption and extortion.

• The lack of reliable and accurate data on urban crime remains a key obstacle to enhancing urban security.

• With proper support and training, security guards who work in gated communities for the rich and middle-class could transfer their knowledge and know how to enhance security and safety in their own neighborhoods.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Apiwat Ratanawaraha is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, where he teaches infrastructure planning and finance, urban management, and economic development. His current research includes projects on city innovations in Southeast Asian megacities, infrastructure justice, and inequality in access to basic services in Thailand. He has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT, teaching infrastructure finance and energy security. He was a Doctoral Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, conducting research on infrastructure, technological development and innovation policy.

DR. KASITITORN POOPARADAI

IDEA

KEYWORDS:

ICT has been recognized as an important tool, not only for creating efficient government, but also for providing a channel for citizen participation to decision-making and policy formulation, or e-Participation. However, traditional e-Participation focuses on the government designed websites and ICT tools irrespective of citizen characteristics and preferences. Social Media, particularly Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, has changed this into a truly two-way interactive participation where power is shifted to the citizen. Yet, the potential of social media has not been fully realized by a number of countries; it await governments and citizens alike to understand how this innovation can potentially change their balance of power and to equip themselves towards increasing participatory governance. This have been alarming signals for authorities on a cyber-game changing, which will associate with an arrival of real challenge of national and regional cyber security in the near future for Southeast Asia. This article discusses some warning signals from various evidence of recent civic engagement.

SCENARIOS AND EARLY INDICATORS

Government-citizen interaction through social media: Sluggish reality The e-Participation index is defined as the “participatory, inclusive, deliberative process of decision-making” which can be achieved by the use of ICT.1 In this respect, governments have deployed ICT as tools to facilitate the provision of information by governments to citizens (“e-information sharing”), interaction with stakeholders (“e-consultation”), and engagement in decision-making processes (“e-decision making”). Although gaining more attention throughout the decade, e-Participation measurement remains supplementary and is not included in the mainstream e-Government ranking, which mainly consists

ICT; e-participation; e-government; open government; citizen; social media; cyber security, civic engagement

of the e-government services index, telecommunication index, and human capital index.

In the early years, e-Participation level was determined mainly by content analysis on the functions and channels provided by government owned websites. This implies a government centric approach, and little or no consideration on citizen diverse characteristics and their preferred channel was taken into account. The emergence of social media, such as user generated content (UGC) facilities, web 2.0 functionalities, and social networking not only intensified this notion of eparticipation, but also disrupted the way and the speed with which government and citizens communicate and interact with each other. Governments soon found themselves bombarded with mass participation – with uncontrollable and unthinkable political results at times, as is often referred to in case of the Arab Springs.

Uneven e-participation and utilization of social media in public sector The promise of social media as e-Participation was put up to test. The latest global e-Government survey (UN, 2012) investigated at the means - even if only a simple feedback form – of collecting citizen opinions online; Twitter and Facebook are increasingly being deployed by governments as vehicles for consultation. The use of interactive consulting tools, including social media, jumped from 33 countries in the previous survey to 58 countries in 2012. Surveys at the local government level in some of the developed countries also took off (See Figure 1).2 Considering the ASEAN members, e-Participation in the region, with the exception of Singapore, does not seem to be progressing satisfactory. In 2012, for example, Malaysia and Brunei are in the top twenty rankings, while Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have managed to be ranked within the top thirty, whereas data prohibits meaningful rankings for Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Witchaya Pruecksamars holds a B.Sc. in Urban Planning, Design and Management and an M.Sc. in Development Administration and Planning, both from University College London. He is now working as a project coordinator and researcher at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Chulalongkorn University. His major research interests are in urban and planning history in Thailand, geo-spatial technologies, and geopolitics of hydropower development in the Lower Mekong Basin.

http://www.geospatialworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24542%3Apnp-incorporates-gis-based-crime-mapping-tool&catid=62%3Aapplication-e-governance&Itemid=1 http://asiafoundation.org/publications/pdf/71 http://www.mysticacharityfoundation.org/CITIZENS-CRIME-WATCH.html

Source: UN e-Government Survey 2012 1 2

The index was initially introduced as a measurement in the UN Global e-Government survey in 2003.

For example, the study conducted by Mossberger and Wu on Local e-Government in 75 largest US cities and 20 largest Illinois cities in 2012.

10 Another study also shows that utilization of social media by government agencies in those countries to reach out to their citizens is not a common practice. ASEAN governments in general, and Thailand in particular, have not yet been able to capitalize on the popularity and tremendous growth of social media despite the obvious growth of social media use among their citizens (See Table 1). Global Facebook users, for example, reached 835 million in 2012, a 26% increase from 664 million in 2011 (See Figure 2).3 In ASEAN, the social media use mirrors the digital divide - the disparity of ICT infrastructure and access - within the region. Hence, the number of Facebook users ranges from nearly 3% of the population in Laos to 57% in Singapore. In Thailand, the ratio of Internet users for 2011 was 23.7%, whereas Facebook users reached 24.02% of the population in August 2012 (NSO, 2011).

Table 1: Use of social media by government agencies in ASEAN countries

Source: Joanne Kuzma (2010), “Asian Government Usage of Web 2.0 Social Media”, European Journal of ePractice, No. 9, March 2010.

However, we might expect ASEAN governments to amplify their use of social media as ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI), stated in their 11th conference, announced their recognition of the role of media, new and traditional, to disseminate information to the peoples of ASEAN, subsequently connecting them beyond their borders and bridging the cultural gap. They also agreed that efforts, followed by programs and activities, should be made to leverage on social media to promote ASEAN awareness towards achieving an ASEAN Community by 2015. Perhaps, a regional commitment can hasten the progress in each individual country.

Users

Figure 2: ASEAN Countries on Facebook

Source: http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistic/?interval=lastweek#chart-intervals, as of August 2012.

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11 now promoting their citizens to become equipped with media and information literacy which should at least develop their informed citizenship situation.

A bridge still far: Mixed signals from civic engagement in disaster management and knowledge blog

• An open Government: The use of social media is often coined with “open government” governance approach, which encompasses the principles of “information transparency, public engagement, and accountability”. Open government, however, requires a holistic approach on policies, the legal and regulatory framework, institutional structure, and process. An overall strategy or direction, at both the national and agency-level, on the use of social media should be in place. Without this, it might lead to confusion for both officers and citizens. For example, what kind of information should be released or communicated on official websites, and what should be via social media and who should be in charge.

A few examples on the use of social media by governments in Thailand are described here. Some local governments created their Facebook account during the flood crisis last year. Facebook became a channel to announce news, movement, and progress which the communities were so anxious about, as well as to learn from communities of the situations and problems that were occurring. It was fast and real-time communication, which is important during any crisis. For a less dramatic example, a project to stimulate public participation was initiated in May 2012 by the Electronic Government Agency (EGA) under the Ministry of ICT and GotoKnow, a famous blog in Thailand. They joined forces to solicit public views on such issues as the Smart card, by urging citizen to write on the blog what kind of benefits/usage of the Smart card they would like to see. There were 57,273 views, but only 794 comments on those particular questions, and EGA has continued this initiative with other questions.4

• Social trust & e-Transparency: Citizens interaction with government is also based on trust – in government as well as in the communication system or technology.

Social media is an open platform where anyone can join and set up their own account, as Facebook revealed this year that 8.7% of Facebook accounts are faked (Ullah Hassan, 2012). Cases of persons impersonating high-level public figures and offices are heard of (The Hindu, August 24, 2012). Worst was the case of the US government creating and manipulating fake Facebook accounts to steer public opinions (WebGuild, March 3, 2011). To engage the citizen, the government needs to consider a mechanism to build this trust. They also need to consider issues relating to any cyber transaction, such as privacy, security, and accuracy of information.

Therefore, governments need to take into account not just the ease of access and use by citizens, but also security and credibility of the system and information

Yet even though the government has already been alerted on the potential of such a tool, little has been understood about how the government will actually incorporate this technologydriven participation into actual governance. So the question remains, if social media really will bring about a truly civic engagement. Governments, at national and local levels, do not always have strategies on how they will deal with the inflow and outflow of information (See Figure 2). Meaningful civic engagement, through social media or not, requires a paradigm shift in governance that governments need to perceive their citizens as in a “partnership in governance”, hence possessing the willingness to share information with their partners should come naturally. Even this willingness is at question, and governments should also realize that their monopoly and control over information is declining, through the widespread use of social media. The balance of power has gradually shifted towards digital citizens, who, in general, have yet to widen their social media use from private and entertainment purposes to participatory governance.

• E-participation assessment: A comparative study on patterns of use, strategies and impacts of social media on national and local governments should be encouraged. The proximity between national government and their citizens needs to be considered – nationwide is far and diverse compared to the closeness of local governments and their communities/constituents. This means different strategies and mechanisms might be required in order to promote e-Participation.

IMPLICATIONS • Inclusiveness: The use of social media for government needs to be inclusive, otherwise the prevailing digital divide – between the haves and haves-not – will prevent certain groups of citizens to actively take part in this socalled participatory governance, particularly people in remote areas, disabled people, and senior citizens. This raises the issue of fairness – fair and equal involvement of all citizens, otherwise it will lead to the segregation of the citizens and create second-class citizens – those who are disconnected.

DRIVERS • The access to ICT devices and services, particularly the Internet, are prerequisite for both government deployment of social media and opportunity for civic engagement. In Thailand, by and large, access to traditional ICT is still very low, but the increases of smart phone and wireless services have made it possible to reach Internet and social media (See Figure 3). The year 2011 witnessed a 17% increase in the sales of smart phones, with the forecast that it will be 27.7% growth this year (Thailand ICT Market & Outlook 2011).5

• Digital Democracy: To realize the power of social media as participation tools, citizen readiness and awareness are vital. In order to participate fully in the digital democracy, based on some of Abramson’s characteristics, they should at least be an informed citizenry (with access to independent and accurate information about the doings of government and other powerful institutions). Furthermore, participatory citizenship needs meaningful opportunities to participate actively in the deliberative processes of government through which public policy is made (Abramson, 2011). Thailand is

Subscribers reported in 210 individual countries and/or territories as of March each year. http://www.internetworldstats.com/facebook.htm Other topics include, for example, Thailand education in 2020, government websites. (Source: EGA internal discussion document)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Figure 3: ICT diffusion in Thailand

Source: National Statistical Office, ICT Household Survey 2011

INHIBITORS • The digital divide can be a major barrier to this eParticipation tool since penetration of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube depends on the accessibility and availability of Broadband Internet for a population, as in the ASEAN figure. When it comes to the “information” from the citizen-to-citizen or citizen-togovernment, there is a concern on the issue of freedom of expression in a country in which it appears to be restricted, and hence discourages public engagement.

This has already happened in the case of Thailand, where an Official Information Act B.E. 2540 (1997) which, in principle, should have guaranteed people’s rights to have full access to government information, has not functioned that well.

REFERENCES REFERENCES

Abramson, J. (2011). Network and Citizenship: Using Technology for Civic Innovation: A Report of the 2011 Aspen Institute Forum on Communications and Society.

ASEAN Secretariat (2012). Joint Media Statement Eleventh Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (11th AMRI) and Second Conference of ASEAN Plus Three Ministers Responsible for Information (2nd AMRI+3) Kuala Lumpur, 1st March 2012 Mossberger, K. & Y. Wu (2012). Civic Engagement and Local E-Government: Social Networking Comes of Age, University of Illinois at Chicago: College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs.

NSO (2011). Internet Household Survey for 2011, National Statistical Office of Thailand. Retrieved from http://service.nso.go.th/nso/nsopublish/ download/files/ict_household54_pocketbook.pdf Software Industry Promotion Agency (2012). Thailand ICT Market & Outlook 2012, National Science and Technology Development Agency, (Thai version).

Retrieved from http://www.sipa.or.th/ewt_dl_link.php?nid=1032 The Special Correspondent (August 24, 2012). Twitter removes fake PMO accounts, The Hindu. Retrieved from http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3816213.ece Ullah Hassan, A. (August 6, 2012). Facebook Estimates 83 Million Accounts on its Site are Fake, Pro Pakistani. Retrieved from http://propakistani.pk/2012/ 08/06/facebook-estimates-83-million-accounts-on-its-site-are-fake/ UN Global e-Government Survey 2003. Retrieved from http://unpan1.un.org/ intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan016066.pdf UN Global e-Government Survey 2012. Retrieved from http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/ unpan048065.pdf WebGuild (March 3, 2011). Fake Social Media Army Used To Sway Public Opinion. Retrieved from http://www.webguild.org/20110303/fakesocial-media-army-used-to-sway-public-opinion

Dr. Kasititorn Pooparadai is the Senior Director of Policy Research Division at the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) in Bangkok, Thailand. She has rich experience in the formulation of Information Technology Policy in Thailand, including the ICT 2020 Policy Framework and the National Broadband Policy, as well as contributing to formulating the ASEAN ICT Masterplan Taskforce. She also teaches ICT policies and management for postgraduates at a number of universities.

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In contrast, according to ICT Market Outlook 2011, Conventional mobile handset experienced a negative growth of -3.2% in 2011 and expected to reach -6.9% this year.

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INTERVIEW BY MR.KAN YUENYONG

Founder, Siam Intelligence Unit

About

Dr. SETTAPONG MALISUWAN

Colonel Settapong Malisuwan is currently the Elected Vice Chairman and Board Member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, Thailand. His interests are in efficient spectrum management and telecommunications policy and management in Thailand.

Colonel Settapong received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (Telecommunications), specializing in Mobile Communication Systems from Florida Atlantic University (State University System of Florida), Boca Raton, FL in 2000. He received an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering in Mobile Communications Systems, from George Washington University in 1996, an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering in Telecommunication Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1992, and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, Nakhon-Nayok, Thailand in 1990.

Q

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ICT access seems to be a distant away off from the everyday life of the poor and vulnerable.

In your perspective, how does this issue impact poverty?

“If we are talking about knowledge-based society (KBS), a country with high capability to access and utilize information and knowledge should have a tendency for faster development. In this case, I refer to a Northeast Asian country, like South Korea. Well-qualified, human capital can leapfrog a nation’s development. In the near future, many children in Asia will be able to get a free or budgeted tablet computer for educational purposes. If we (the public sector) are capable of providing inclusive access to information and knowledge, new generations will have more options for accessing knowledge, and learning capability should be leveraged faster than in

W I T H Dr. Settapong Malisuwan the past. Insufficiently accessible facilities will raise an issue of inequality – particularly an urban-rural information divide. How can we make development occur in the country? This is a reason why ICT infrastructure and access are among the key indicators for national competitiveness.

It’s double-edged. There are pros and cons for ICT access; cyber-space may cause social disturbance and cohesiveness.

So we need to find a way to balance these forces in order to make sure that our people can develop their own capability of learning and thinking.”

“For the case of Thailand, as I represent the National Board of Telecommunication and Communication (NBTC), we have our mission to build a national ICT infrastructure to serve the community as a whole. In this regards, I am talking about the Universal Service Obligation (USO). We have set goals for a distribution of internet access to cover more than 80% of the Kingdom. Operators with third or fourth generations (3G or 4G) licenses have a responsibility to build such networks to cover 50% of the population within 2 years, and 80% within 4 years to guarantee that the majority of Thais will have this basic accessibility to cyberspace.”

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“At this moment, there has not been a real or serious threat on cyber security, like cyber terrorism, yet.

There are mainly intrusions from some hackers who want to test the security system and at the same time sharpen their digital menace skills. In Thailand, there are cases involved with hacking websites and online financial frauds.”

Disclaimer : The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of Noviscape Consulting Group or the Rockefeller Foundation.

Copyright © Trendsoutheast 2009 - 2012. All Rights Reserved.

“Yes, it’s possible. Especially in advanced developed countries such as in the US, they use communication networks in controlling power lines, water pipes, almost everything. There is a power grid which has embedded fiber optics. The data will run in fiber optic paralleling with power in the power line. So, it can be accessed to control the power. There is a great concern over this risk in the US. But in Thailand, we still use a manual system, even in the army. But in this region, Singapore is serious about cyber security, so they have copied the US cyber-security control system. Not only Singapore, but also Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and China are engaging in cyber-security practicing. There is a school for cyber-security experts in China.”

What is your opinion about the cyber security and movements via social media, such as in the Arab Spring?

“This is another issue. Cyber security is a defense of warfare, a security on cyberspace. But that is information warfare. It’s another topic in cyber security. It’s using information to attack or make distractions for your opponent.

It’s making people to get an anti-state perception. This is an information operation (IO).”

“IO has various mediums, not only the internet. It can be on any medium to make information to get to the decision makers to change their minds, or to get knowledge to that group of people who has strong influence in the country. It focuses on a small group of people, such as to get the leader to change his or her mind, or getting people to join an uprising. It has been used in the uprising in Syria, because people are getting an enormous amount of information to demand freedom.”

In this sense, the cyber security will be a very important issue and it already affects us all. What is the current situation on cyber security in Thailand and beyond?

“Anyway, cyber-terrorist groups do exist in the real world.

In Singapore, they try to copy the cyber security controlling process from the US. In the US, it could be detected for data-stealing, such as a data-stealing from Department of Energy for building a nuclear weapon. There was a cybermeeting among terrorists via a social network in managing a bomb plot. This is considered as a professional job. So the US asked the US Air Force to set up a United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM). It is one system of unified commands among 8 Unified Combatant Commands (UCC) in the United States. Normally, those commands will be responsible for different territory, such as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) will handle for Asia-Pacific territory. But this USCYBERCOM centralizes command of cyberspace operations.”

Is it possible to hack into the computer network or the internet to harm the infrastructure of a public utility?

“It’s not necessary to make information warfare on the internet. We already have information warfare on community radio, with both red and yellow shirts. We can use any medium to make fast and broad distribution of the information, such as internet social media, radio, and television. It’s multi-dimensional. But in the future, we may use 100% social media, it may change.”

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How will the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) prepare for such cyber security risk?

“According to Frequency Allocation Bill 2553 BE, NBTC has the duty to regulate telecom operator licenses. It is the computer crime act and electronic transaction bill that will deal directly with cyber security. It’s a duty of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT). Once there is a hacking, it’s the duty of MICT to be responsible for it. It will be a police officer and MICT officer who will cooperate handling the situation. But for us, if we know that some operator who got a license from us allowed a communication channel, and we warned them to take care about the problem (blocking the com-

munication), if they do not follow our order, their license could be seized, after MICT has asked them to cooperate and they fail to do so. So we have a different function. We control the network, license, and asking operators for cooperation.

MICT will deal with the hacker. If they can arrest the hacker, the police officer will take legal proceedings according to the rule of law. It’s a criminal case, thus a duty of the police.”

“NBTC will have cooperation with MICT via meetings between subcommittees. We have cyber security in telecom, while ICT has a similar subcommittee. And, we have regular meetings together. We may make an MOU in order to make it a smooth cooperation.”

“We may announce some rule of regulation and information to the public. MICT also makes its own announcements. But there is not yet a critical point in Thailand, because we are not yet using the full capacity of the IT service. In the public sector we use a small part of IT. But some sectors such as banking and financial services, they are using serious real time IT. It’s possible for hacking to occur in such sectors. So in the financial sector, they are quite concerned and they employ a very strong security team. In the public sector, they focus on controlling public services such as the power system, water pipes, and the public transit system. But these systems are not connected to the people yet. For example, if I want to check my electricity bill, I cannot check it online. There is not any server to service the request. So we have no such problem. But it will happen in the future.”

Q

When will it happen in the future?

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“In Thailand, 5 years from now, perhaps. I think we can access directly to public service. There will be a protection system of course. But an intelligent person could possibly intrude through the system. It depends on the development of the connectivity system. Now we cannot access to the public service, but only the website. If the website is not working, it’s not a serious problem. Compared to other developed countries, we are quite delayed. So we can study from them. This may be a good thing.”

Q

What is the current status of cooperation among the telecommunication regulators in Southeast Asia?

A

“We have a regular meeting to share the same direction. It’s the same standard. We are not a technology producer but a purchaser. And there is a standard. It globally needs to use the same standard of frequency, standard of network. So we have a central standard. It’s called the International Telecommunication Union, or ITU. We also have regional units, too, such as ITU ASEAN and ITU Pacific. Now, ITU ASEAN has a policy on building broadband to decrease social inequality, and standardizing mobile frequency allocation.”

“NBTC was asked for cooperation on the regional power grid, too. They need to ask for our license. We will give them the license, and they can utilize their own network on their own.”

Disclaimer : The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of Noviscape Consulting Group or the Rockefeller Foundation.

Copyright © Trendsoutheast 2009 - 2012. All Rights Reserved.

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Dr. Pun-Arj Chairatana Dr. Apiwat Ratanawaraha Mr. Kan Yuenyong

Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Donald Arthur Johnson

Editor

Mr. Preeda Chaiyanajit

Project Co-ordinator

Mr. Pakpoom Saengkanokkul

Trend Analyst

Mr. Passapong Boonlueng

Graphic Designer

Regional Horizon / Environment Scanning (HS/ES) and trend monitoring for issues relevant to people. life, and regional transformation across the Sotheast Asian region.

Colonel Dr. Teeranan Nandhakwang Dr. Apiwat Ratanawaraha Mr. Witchaya Pruecksamars Dr. Kasititorn Pooparadai

Author

Dr. Settapong Malisuwan

Information Specialist

Trendnovation Southeast Newsletter is published by

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