The Thai Information and Communications Technology Ministry has lifted the ban on Youtube.com, Bangkok Pundit reported today.
According to The Nation, the Thai government has lifted its ban on YouTube after a deal was made between the video-sharing site and local Thai officials. Youtube “agreed to block any video clips deemed offensive to Thai people or those that violate Thai law.”
YouTube, which is owned by Google Inc, was blocked on April 4th, 2007 following the appearance on the site of material critical of the country’s revered monarch: King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thailand’s ICT Minister, Dr Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, declared to the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SAPA) “When they decide to withdraw the clip, we will withdraw the ban.”
However, tow Youtube like video sharing sites, Veoh and Metacafe have been banned according to Asia Sentinel:
Veoh, a site similar to YouTube, was blocked earlier this month after a user posted a rrisque personal video purportedly of the Thai Royal Family. ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom has said that YouTube would be unblocked once Thailand’s internet service providers (ISPs) have installed cache engines that allow officials to block individual URLs instead of entire websites. Supposedly this was going to happen a month ago, but still today visitors get this Thai-language message when clicking on YouTube, Veoh or Metacafe: “Sorry [state telecom company] TOT as an organization of Thailand has seized the connection of this website due to certain content, messages and images that are inappropriate that have had a tremendous impact on the hearts of Thai people.”
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[...] Just as YouTube was unblocked in Thailand, we find out that Veoh and Metacafe are not so lucky (Asia Sentinel via GVA). [...]
posted on August 31st, 2007 at 3:07 am - #2580[...] Thai government has turned its attention to Veoh and Metacafe, two other video hosting sites. See Global Voices and the Committee to Protect Bloggers for [...]
posted on August 31st, 2007 at 4:32 am - #2582[...] 過去半年內，中國、突尼西亞、敍利亞、土耳其、緬甸、泰國與摩洛哥政府切斷了影片分享網站的連結，在9月3日到11月2日之間，突尼西亞政府封鎖了二個受歡迎影片分享網站–Dailymotion、Youtube, 使國內網友無法觀賞或上傳影片，目前這二個網站在當地仍無法造訪。中國網友最近可以重新使用Flickr 相片分享網，但在阿拉伯聯合大公國、伊朗境內仍無法連上。Metacafe、Photobucket 在許多中東國家被禁止，例如伊朗和阿聯。 [...]
posted on November 29th, 2007 at 4:14 am - #5209[...] http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/?p=102, http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/12/turkey_youtube_unbanned/ [...]
posted on May 5th, 2008 at 11:47 pm - #9374