Thailand, Google Make Nice Over Monarchy-Mocking YouTube Videos

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2007 - 1:36pm.

Bangkok, Thailand - The Thai government has decided against filing suit against Google over videos posted to YouTube that mocked the country's beloved monarch, the Associated Press reported.

The decision comes after Google agreed to remove a dozen videos from YouTube that had caused an uproar in the country and prompted Thailand to block YouTube from all of its citizens.

"We have the deepest respect for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej," Google wrote in a letter to Thailand's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.

"We likewise respect Thailand's law and tradition and hope that we will be able to reach a mutually acceptable resolution to the current controversy.

Thailand had planned to sue Google on charges of "lese-majeste," or offending the monarchy, which can bring up to 15 years in prison.

"We decided not to sue Google because it has agreed to cooperate in removing 12 video clips from the YouTube Web site," Vissanu Meeyoo, spokesman for the country's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, told AP.

 

Related Links:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070511/ap_on_re_as/thailand_youtube_2 (AP)

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