Thailand Seeks to Block YouTube Videos

Thailand is seeking to block clips on YouTube that accuse the chief royal adviser of masterminding last year's bloodless coup, a top Justice Ministry official said on Friday.

The government, which lifted a five-month ban on YouTube in August after it agreed to block clips deemed offensive to revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was seeking a court order to block two video clips posted recently on the video-sharing website.

"In the next couple of days, we will seek a court order to block those links deemed to cause public confusion and threaten national security," said Yanaphon Youngyuen, head of the Justice Ministry's Internet crimes unit.

"While awaiting the court order, we are seeking cooperation from Internet service providers to block those links," he said.

The two-part postings, entitled 'The Crisis of Siam', and running 10:42 minutes and 6:06 minutes, accuse former Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda of plotting the September 2006 coup, not the generals who took credit.

Such allegations against Prem, now Privy Council chief, have been made by supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra during demonstrations and denied repeatedly by the generals and the government they appointed.

"Pa has been through such allegations many times and everyone knows what the truth is," Prem's spokesman, Vice Admiral Prajun Tampratheep, said of the 87-year-old former leader.

Last month, the Communications Ministry lifted a ban on YouTube after its owner, Google, installed filters to stop Thais from accessing clips deemed to insult 79-year-old King Bhumibol, a serious offence in Thailand.

YouTube said in May it had decided, after an agreement with the Thai government, to block some offending clips but took several months to implement it.

Thailand sent YouTube's management a list of 12 video clips it deemed offensive. Six of the clips were removed by their creators or because they violated YouTube's 'code of service', YouTube said in a statement.

YouTube was not available for immediate comment on Thailand's latest attempt to block access to some of its clips.