The cabinet has approved a 400 million baht budget for the Information and Communication Technology Ministry to buy equipment to lawfully tap into websites to detect lese majeste content, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said on Wednesday.

Mr Chalerm, who currently chairs a committee set up to deal with unlawful information, including websites with lese majeste content, said the ministry has been assigned to purchase the equipment, which would be used to obtain communications network data pursuant to lawful authority for the purpose of analysis or evidence.

He said that since its establishment his committee had, with an order and warrant issued by the Criminal Court, suspended broadcasting of texts and pictures deemed lese majeste on five websites after searching five locations in Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok and seizing a number of computers, mobile phones, and other communications equipment for examination.

He said the authorities, in doing so, tried not to violate the rights of individuals while aiming to prevent the high institution from being insulted.

Mr Chalerm admitted the committee might not be able to block all lese majeste messages and pictures sent from outside the country, but it would try to stop them from being spread further.

Earlier today, the Lawyers Council of Thailand asked Mr Chalerm to strengthen the crackdown on websites with content deemed offensive to the monarchy.

In statement handed to Mr Chalerm by council chairman Sak Korsaengruang, the lawyers suggested the police and the ICT Ministry jointly form a “special agency” to better trace and tackle on-line information with content insulting to the royal family.

Mr Sak said more inappropriate websites were being found, partly because police and ICT officials “do not step up action” against offenders.

Last week, Mr Chalerm offered to lead a campaign for the suppression of websites deemed to broadcast lese majeste content, and submitted a proposal through the cabinet secretary-general to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for the setting up of a committee responsible for the suppression of lese majeste websites.

The deputy premier said he would coordinate with the Interior and ICT ministries and take drastic action against whoever insults the monarchy, regardless of his or her political colour code.

Mr Chalerm said that as a member of the Pheu Thai Party he would definitely not allow any websites to commit lese majeste, even though they might be run by the red-shirts.