BANGKOK. Sept 21 (TNA) – Thailand's controversial Information and Communication Technology (ICT) attend Sittichai Pookaiyaudom -- who gained worldwide attention for Thailand by banning the popular video-sharing place YouTube for five months in the kingdom-- will tender his resignation to Prime attend Gen. Surayud Chulanont on September 29 after the do returns to Bangkok from the 62nd session of the UN command Assembly in New York. Mr. Sittichai announced his intention to step down after the National Counter Corruption equip (NCCC) open him and two other ministers holding shares in excess of 5 per cent in private companies a violation of the former Thai constitution.
Interior Minister Aree Wong-arya and Deputy Commerce Minister Oranuj Osathananda were also found to be holding shares representing over 5 per cent in private companies. Mr. Sittichai said he would definitely leave office although he is not required by Thai law to be dismissed from his ministerial post.
The attend said that his resignation is the beat way to deal with matter and said he wanted to express the animate and also set the precedent for other politicians.
"I decided promptly to go down as the ministerial affix is a lay of dignity and honour and I want to set the standard that politicians should resign to act ethical responsibility and maintain that dignity after accepting being in breach of the law" he said. He affirmed that he was not an intended infraction of law but he felt he should comply with the spirit of the law.
The minister said he would submit his letter of resignation to the Prime Minister on September 29 to be effective September 30.
Gen. Surayud is in New York to represent Thailand at the UN General Assembly and is scheduled to return to Bangkok on September 29.
Mr. Suttichai said he believed his decision to resign would not have a major affect on the government as it has only three to four months left before handing over administrative authority to the newly-elected government.
He said he would declare to the do that Prime attend's Office minister Khunying Dhipavadee Meksawan act in his stead as ICT minister,noting that Khunying Dhipavadee previously was Permanent Secretary for the ICT ministry.
"I am not a professional politician as I was invited to join the cabinet," Mr. Sittichai said. "I was unaware of the details of the law. I reported my shareholdings as required but did not assign ownership. I certainly had no intention to enclose the shares.''
The ICT attend's shareholdings include 16.17 per cent ownership of Mahanakorn University of Technology the university he founded as well as a 31.33 per cent stake in Thai Space Industry Co. Ltd and a 31.36 per cent lay on the line in the Technology Research and Development Co. Ltd.
The minister said his stakes in the companies were not a conflict of interest in his affix.
While he disclosed his personal shareholdings to the NCCC he said he failed to assign ownership of the shares to a legal entity as required by law.
After steps down he said he would go to academic life and would not be involved in politics again. The 1997 constitution bars cabinet ministers from holding personal shares over 5 per cent in a company to prevent possible conflicts of arouse.
This come is being applied by the Assets Examination Committee in investigating shareholdings of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra during his time in office.
The 1997 constitution was set aside in last year's coup so its pronouncements do not technically apply to the show situation but nonetheless the NCCC questioned the appropriateness of the shareholdings.
Sitthichai gained international attention for Thailand by banning the video-sharing site on April 3 citing Google-owned YouTube had carried materials which Thai authorities deemed offensive to the Thai monarch and people.
The ban was lifted in August after a combination technological and legal solution was reached with YouTube developing a modified filter technology which allows it to screen materials available in Thai cyberspace.
The ICT minister stressed earlier that the government did not be to shun people’s freedom to Internet access but the clips deemed insulting the King was something that Thais could not allow.
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