Cyberwar unit not linked to single gateway, Prayut insists
The Royal Thai Armed Forces' "cyberwarfare unit" has nothing to do with a controversial project to establish a single international Internet gateway, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said at his weekly press briefing Tuesday.
Lamenting that the two issues had become mixed up, Prayut said the cyberwarfare unit aimed to combat advanced technological threats from abroad and spying, while the single gateway was more of a service issue.
Prayut also stressed that the military’s communication departments had long had their own cyber-units before the issue came under the spotlight.
“The military deals with this [unit],” he said. “This has nothing to do with me. I am part of the government now,” and not the military.
Prayut’s reaction follows criticisms that emerged as the Army announced last week that it was setting up the unit to handle cybersecurity.
The announcement raised concerns over to what extent the unit will have authority to control the Internet, especially how it might link to the single gateway. Some also wondered whether the cyberwarfare unit would deal with people accused of lese majeste.
