CrisPDuk

Bu66er

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Thailand blocks access to YouTube

They'll get no argument from me though

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

How petty!!!

Does the UK ban thinks just because someone insults our royal family or calls the Prime Minister a dick?????

The King is revered and it is forbidden to insult him! sounds like a dictator that needs taking down a peg or two.

Send in the yanks they will soon get rid of him and get YouTube reinstated.

CupraDave

iTrader: (1)

"The ban follows the jailing for 10 years of a Swiss man after he pleaded guilty to charges of insulting the Thai king.

Oliver Jufer, 57, was arrested last December after drunkenly spray-painting posters of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the northern city of Chiang Mai."

WTF !!!
10 years for some graffitti

Can you imagine what would have happened to the Sex Pistols if the UK was like that about the Queen

Jamie

He only got 10 because he admitted it he was looking at a 20

CrisPDuk

I beg to differ it's a point of both principle and respect, just because westerners think it's OK acceptable anyone and everyone doesn't give them the right to impose their arrogant opinions on those who see things differently BTW no-one over here gives a **** if you insult the PM, elected officials are fair game

Thailand is not a dictatorship (well most of the time, unless there's a coup, it's monarchy, like the UK's, is constitutional, not absolute. The King is genuinely revered (and rightly so, in my opinion) by the vast majority of the population Unlike the USSR which had it's state erected statues of Lenin everywhere, all the posters and statues, etc over here have been erected by the people themselves, not some state organ.

With regard to the Swiss guy referred to by CupraDave, he was lucky to get the ten years, if the Police hadn't got to him before the locals, he would have been going home in a box

The Yanks are here already, they have been since the '60s. Where do you think all their B52s flew out of on their little trips to Hanoi?

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I think Youtube should be lower down Thailands list of priorities.

CrisPDuk

Thailand is currently governed by a miltary council, the Thai Military is sworn to first and foremost defend the King and the people (that's the bit Thaksin forgot).

Based on that premise alone, I'd say they got their priorities right

I will concede that there are many issues over here that most would deem more pressing though

KiwiGTI

Could be said for a lot of other countries too, the UK's priorities aren't exactly brilliant either.

KiwiGTI

I just want to say that the criticism of this case and of Thailands 'lese majeste' laws really annoy me.

It's a sovereign state with it's own laws, history, people and culture. It's not as if they have legalised stoning or underaged marriage or any other questionable activity against human rights. They merely have a law in place to protect their beloved King, that the overwhelming majority of people in that country love dearly and agree with (surely what democracy is supposed to be about anyway).

The penalties are well known and quite frankly anyone that disobeys them or gets caught deserves everything they get.

The issue isn't whether you agree with them or not, because it's not your place to agree or disagree as you aren't a Thai citizen, the issue is a dumb, drunken foreigner disobeyed the law with a well known punishment and got what he deserved.

speye91

Grand Palace,Bangkok is a cracking place.

When i was over there,i was told never to put cash in your shoe,or your shoe on top of cash.

Thai's are very loyal to there King.

Whilst i was there i managed to see the King as we were visiting the Palace,that day.The Tour guide told us that he was due there in a few hours,with the Princes,so we waited around on the Grassy area over the road from the Entrance.

Thailand soon to be my home.

CrisPDuk

Where are you moving to Speye?

Is there a newly acquired wife involved in the move

CrisPDuk

Spot on, that man

dsmith

I dont think many people realise how controlled Internet access is in many countries. its not the free-for-all we enjoy in the UK.

many of moses's favourite benevlent states dont trust their own people to have unrestricted access. So control access at their borders.

speye91

Spending 6 months in Pattaya,doing a Masters Couse in Diving there.

And the Girlfriend is coming with me.

CrisPDuk

I was based in Pattaya for three months last year, I'm up in the Bangkok burbs for a year or so now.

Taking the girlfriend, unlucky

To be honest that's not a bad idea, I can imagine the girls over here are OK if you're just on holiday, but when you're living here it is different. To be honest they don't float my boat anyway, I prefer a girl with some meat her ribs

DocJock

I think you'll find the King is not that bothered about being the subject of a video, more the civil servants in the Thai Govt.

We could do with a little more respect for others in this country imo.

CrisPDuk

You'll find it's not just a few civil servants The people as whole are fiercely protective of their king. To the extent that, as I said above, if the police hadn't got to that Swiss idiot first, the locals would have killed him where he stood, and never batted an eyelid

It's not just the UK Doc, one or two of our former colonies could do with showing others (and their cultures) a bit more respect too