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Thai authorities on Tuesday threatened to shut down
29 websites over content deemed offensive to the nation's revered
king, warning that owners of the portals could face prosecution.
The latest threat came after
Thailand banned the video-sharing service YouTube for five months
last year, over videos that mocked Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The ban was only lifted after
YouTube, owned by Internet giant Google, agreed to filter videos
related to the king from appearing to users in Thailand.
Chalerm Yoobumrung, Thailand's
interior minister, said Tuesday the websites in question would be
discussed in a meeting with police.
"We will exercise whatever
law we need to, because it's threatening national security and the
interior ministry cannot ignore it," he told reporters.
"I will closely monitor all
these 29 websites."
Internet content seen as overtly
critical of the king -- who many Thais believe is semi-divine -- has
been under close scrutiny since former prime minister Thaksin
Shinawatra was toppled in a coup by army generals in 2006.
Thai Special Branch police
confirmed Tuesday they had more than 20 websites under investigation
for insulting the monarchy, including the pro-Thaksin site hi-thaksin.net.
Last year's YouTube controversy
centred on a clip posted by an anonymous user showing
digitally-altered images of the revered 80-year-old King next to a
photograph of feet.
Thais believe feet are the lowest
and dirtiest part of the body, and placing feet next to someone's
head is seen as a massive insult.
The ban was only lifted at the
end of August last year when filters were installed to stop viewers
in Thailand seeing the offensive clips.
Other video clips and webpages
covering controversial Thai politics and the monarchy, have since
been banned.
Lieutenant General Rapipat
Palawong, commander of Special Branch Police, told AFP that any
website suspected of allowing messages to be posted which insulted
the monarchy, whether hosted in Thailand or abroad, would be liable
for prosecution.
"We have coordinated with
our legal department and Interpol on how to prosecute these
perpetrators," Rapipat said, explaining that some of the sites
had been found to be registered overseas.
--AFP
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