BANGKOK (Reuters) - 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.

“Since Google has rejected our repeated requests to withdraw the clip, we can’t help blocking the entire site in Thailand,” said Sitthichai, a telecoms professor who said he had spent most of his academic life researching eavesdropping devices.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSBKK17066320070404

I really don’t know what to say at this point; first Turkey blocked YouTube over the videos making fun of Atatürk, and now Thailand is blocking the site over a 44 second clip making fun of it’s king. I guess both nations have decided that they do not support freedom, and I guess that’s fine - it’s there decision, but I heavily denounce both nations for it.

An image from the offending video.

I am aware of the fact that the Thai people have a great respect and reverence for there king, but at the same time, I find it hard to believe that they find it so offensive that they must block an entire site to prevent it’s viewing. The clip, which I’ve included at the end of this post, is nothing more than a childish attempt (and really very poorly executed) at drawing faces on the King and editing photos to make him look funny. I’ll be entirely honest, the clip made me chuckle, but at the stupidity and pointlessness more than anything.

Perhaps being an American and never really leaving the country (except for a vacation in Canada ), I’ve developed extremely warped views on Freedom of Expression. Whatever the cause, I find myself almost entirely incapable of comprehending why a nation would block a video like this, let alone an entire site for hosting it. What’s more, I find a law that allows people to be jailed for 15 years simply for disrespecting the royal family beyond insane - such a law is a sign of a totalitarian dictatorship that needs to be overthrown and replaced with a democracy. This may have been acceptable three or four hundred years ago, but in this day and age, such laws are objects of antiquity and unenlightened times.

I also need to applaud Google on their decision to maintain free speech of their users and not cave to the laws of a foreign nation. Hopefully this action will set a precedent and show the world that American companies aren’t going to give in to the demands of foreign dictatorships. One can only hope.

Edit: The video has since been removed.