Thai govt upholds YouTube ban

The Thai government has retained a ban on the popular YouTube video website despite the removal of a short film deemed insulting to the country’s beloved monarch.

Even though the offending video was withdrawn, the site still featured at least one still frame from the contentious 44-second clip, said Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, the minister of information and technology.

The video, which showed graffiti-like elements crudely painted over a photograph slideshow of 79-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, had “been removed by the user”, said a notice posted on the page where it used to be. One part of the removed clip juxtaposed pictures of feet over the king’s image – a major cultural taboo for Thais since feet are considered extremely dirty and offensive.