In one of his many public services, Bangkok Pundit keeps a close eye on things like statements about “websites of concern”. The Pundit recently highlighted this most recent list of websites that have, reportedly, been identified as containing problematic material. As a list of sites it makes for interesting (but inconsistent) reading. For other reporting on these intriguing developments see AFP and MCOT. And there is Thai-language discussion of the various sites over at Prachatai and Fa Deow Gan.

For what it’s worth, anyone who wants to learn about some of the below-the-surface politics in Thailand today could do much worse than trawl through this list.

Update 22 May 2008: Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung’s hunt for the mastermind continues. He has reportedly set a 72 hour deadline for “tracing who is behind the posting of inappropriate messages in the Internet”. And then what? Show trial? And what if the material originates outside the country? Will Thailand try to extradite some renegade blog commentator(s)? Or webmasters, or domain owners?