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back to article Thai Police shutter 5,000+ sites insulting royals

The monarchy-loving Thai authorities have deleted over 5,000 web pages in the past three months in a continued crack down on content deemed insulting to the royal family, although critics argue it’s just an excuse to exercise ever more hardline censorship controls. Thailand national police spokesman Piya Utayo explained that …

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  1. Paul McClure
    Stop

    Way too much time on their hands

    It's proper for the government to fear it's people. The proper response is to listen and do the public's will. Making up laws for make work government staff is a poor solution at best.

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  2. Wilhelm Lindt
    Big Brother

    How can this article be complete without mentioning the United States? China, Iran, India, and Pakistan are easy targets because their rulers don't stage photo ops at the Twitter offices. But the USA seizes domain names without due process, stages helicopter raids on mansions in foreign countries, and more, just to shut down web sites. Breaking the law to protect commercial interests in the USA is no more just than protecting royal interests in Thailand.

    12 1
    1. Elmer Phud
      Reply Icon

      yeah but . . .

      In the US you can (as they do) slag off Obama for it raining/not raining, too hot/too cold etc. etc.

      and still not end up in a jail sharing one hole in the ground with 50 others to squat over.

      1 1
      1. Stratman
        Reply Icon

        Re: yeah but . . .

        You can in Thailand as well.

        1 0
  3. jake Silver badge

    Oh knows!

    Did a simple text-based comment make an entire monarchy feel bad?

    Pobrecita ::patpatpat::

    1 0
  4. DanceMan

    So will they search for old Wizard of Id collections? ("The King is a Fink!")

    We can laugh, but it's no laughing matter for anyone in Thailand.

    1 0
  5. mhenriday
    Big Brother

    Note that when Google - with the kind help of the US State Department -

    chose to go viral over being forced to accept censorship regulations in China, it didn't have a word to say about doing the same thing in Thailand - or India or Turkey - to mention just a few places in which that well-publicised corporate devotion to and responsibility for free speech seems to have been conspicuous by its absence. All animals are equal, but some....

    Henri

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