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Friday May 11, 2:09 AMYouTube expected to remove clips of Thai king
The popular video-sharing site, owned by Internet giant Google, has been blocked to Thai users since early April, when clips showing digitally-altered images of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej began appearing. Asked whether Google would remove the clips, Vissanu Meeyo, a spokesman for the information ministry, said: "It is likely." He was responding to reports on the Bangkok Post newspaper's website that the information minister has received a letter from Google's vice president vowing to delete all clips considered offensive to the monarch. Vissanu told AFP that information minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudoom would hold a press conference on Friday to disclose the details. Thailand's army-backed government had considered suing YouTube over charges of lese majeste -- insulting the monarchy -- a serious crime here that carries up to 15 years in prison. The government, which came to power after a September coup, has been blocking YouTube since the first clip showing the king next to a photograph of feet, considered deeply offensive in Thailand, appeared in April. The number of clips lampooning the king mushroomed after news spread around the world that Thailand had reacted by banning YouTube. Thailand's 79-year-old king, almost universally adored by Thais, is the world's longest-reigning monarch, and one of the few who is still protected by tough laws that prohibit any insult against the royal family. The YouTube ban came a week after a Thai court jailed a Swiss man for 10 years for insulting the monarch by vandalising his portraits. But the king later pardoned the man, who was then deported from Thailand. |
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