Got this from Aileen while sniffing thru her home wifi.
Thailand’s military-appointed government blocked access to on-line video-sharing Web site YouTube on Wednesday after its owner, Google Inc., declined to withdraw a video clip mocking the country’s revered monarch.
Communications Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom told Reuters he had ordered a block of the entire site, www.youtube.com, from Thailand after the ministry’s attempts to get the offending page removed last week failed.
Read full story at MSNBC.
USA is next…. maybe not because they are still confused with their own “Freedom of Speechâ€. Yeah…Thailand blocked yourtube because this yourtube let a jackass put a video offending the King of Thailand who is the father figure and the symbol of the kingdom of thailand.. in turn offending 60 million of Thai people…I’ll tell you how confused American are… American have this law about flag burning saying it is about symbolic expression… but they make shorts and underwears out of it… touchy is it?. but that is their own business the rest of world might laugh but respect however it seems like whenever they want they close one eye on their own freedom of speech or they are simply and totally confused. The problem is when other culture talk about the offense to their symbolic expression .. then American like to say it is a violation of freedom of speech to them.. Are American ready to step into world community or they are just kidding themselves… or they are just as confused as their president!
eric blocked pa rin Youtube dito sa Thailand, may image pa rin kasi yung tinanggal na video. So unless umaksyon ang Google. It’s invisible Youtube for now.
nawala na ang video sa youtube. pero ang tanong.. blocked pa rin kaya ang youtube sa TH?
I think this is a matter of cultural sensitivity. The Thai Military claimed that they repeatedly requested Youtube to scrap the offensive video. The King is revered as semi-divine here in Thailand and I think we need to respect that had it been another group, Google might have acted differently (I could cite so many but I’ll just let you Google the news on Youtube blockages).
This is what you’ll get if you browse Youtube here in Thailand. Ironically, the Thai media has given the hint to a loophole to see the video via http://www.proxxxy.org/. :)
If Google had removed the video, then that would’ve been considered censorship, and that’s dangerous. But I agree with your sentiment that Google should probably come up with better guidelines, but should stay away from censorship.
Google should have just removed that video instead of letting millions or hundred thousands of thailand YouTube surfers not being able to visit the site.
That is still a percentage of the total market.
Although, maybe it’s too small that Google didn’t remove the link and it’s okay for them if Thailand can’t visit YouTube? hehe
I recently found out that in Thailand it is illegal to say anything against the monarch and his family. The law seems to be so overarching that people and the media actually avoid mentioning anything at all regarding the royal family.
If it was a Thai person who posted that YouTube video, he or she must’ve been looking for an outlet. I know that the Thai king is generally revered and loved — and he seems to be a pretty decent ruler IMHO — but nobody can please everybody, I guess.