Looks like the junta and YouTube have problems again. This time over two videos accusing former Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda of plotting the September 2006 coup, not the generals who took credit.

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.

Source: http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/4862

The videos can still be viewed by me though they take ages to load. Part I is a very pragmatic "blow against the junta", bringing up some "information" completely new to me, probably not so true. All in all it looks almost professionally made. With an amateurish touch though. But the pictures must have been selected by a professional for enhanced propaganda effect.:wink:

Here is a related thread. Thailand's controversial 'YouTube' ICT minister throws in the towel

Mr. Sittichai announced his intention to step down after the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) found him and two other ministers holding shares in excess of 5 per cent in private companies, a violation of the former Thai constitution.

http://talk-thailand.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2770

I am very surprised that this Minister has not been arrested and thrown in the slammer for breaking the law

Quote:Thailand plans tougher lese majeste law

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand, which strictly enforces laws protecting the monarchy, plans to extend protection to royal advisers and other members of the royal family and restrict media coverage of cases, lawmakers said on Monday.

Under the proposed amendments, to be debated by the army-appointed parliament on Wednesday, journalists could be jailed for three years and fined 60,000 baht ($1,750) for ignoring a court-ordered publication ban.

"We don't want any offence to the monarch to be repeated in the news or become an issue of any criticism" inside or outside Thailand, Supreme Court chief judge Pornpetch Wichitcholchai told Reuters.

Those protected by the expanded law would include sons and daughters of the monarch and royal advisers known as privy councillors, Pornpetch said.

"The current law doesn't cover privy councillors, some of whom have become political victims," he said.

Last month, the government threatened to block clips on video-sharing Web site YouTube that accused chief royal adviser Prem Tinsulanonda of masterminding last year's bloodless coup.

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

The government lifted a five-month ban on YouTube's site, http://www.youtube.com, in August after its owner, Google Inc, installed filters to stop Thais from accessing clips deemed to insult King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch.

Thailand's lese majeste law is already among the toughest in the world, with jail terms of three to 15 years for anyone who "defames, insults or threatens" the king, queen, heir apparent or regent.

Under the proposed amendments, those found guilty of lese majeste against royal children face up to seven years in jail, and up to five years if it is against royal advisors, Pornpetch said.

The most recent conviction was of a Swiss man jailed for 10 years in March for defacing pictures of the king.

At the request of police, few Thai newspapers reported the case of Oliver Rudolf Jufer, who received a royal pardon and was deported.

"The police were doing the right thing and the media made the right decision not to report the story, but we are going to put those judgment calls into law," Pornpetch said.

But a media rights advocacy group said the amendments would gravely violate people's freedom of expression, which should be debated widely in the public, not by army-appointed legislators.

"The existing law is already very powerful to gag the people. There is no need to make it tougher," said Supinya Klangnarong of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform.

"They should let the democratically elected lawmakers decide what to do with the current law," she told Reuters.

Reuters India Oct. 9, 2007

Quote:Thailand halts plan to toughen lese majeste law

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's army-appointed parliament has abandoned plans to extend strictly enforced laws protecting the monarchy after protests from royal advisers it had intended to cover, a Supreme Court judge said on Tuesday.

Sponsors withdrew amendments to expand lese majeste laws after a member of the Privy Council, which advises the monarch, said it did not want such protection, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said.

"We were informed by a privy councillor that the Privy Council was not happy to be protected, so we decided to withdraw them for now," Pornpetch, who is also a member of parliament and the chief sponsor of the amendment, told Reuters.

The amendments would have expanded lese majeste to include children of the monarch as well as privy councillors.

They would also have imposed restrictions on media coverage lese majeste cases and allow journalists to be jailed for three years and fined 60,000 baht ($1,750) for ignoring a court-ordered publication ban.

Last month, the government threatened to block clips on video-sharing Web site YouTube that accused chief royal adviser Prem Tinsulanonda of masterminding last year's bloodless coup.

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

The amendments also drew protests from media rights advocates who said they amounted to a grave violation of freedom of expression which should be debated widely in public, not by army-appointed legislators.

Reuters India Oct. 10, 2077

I guess it's wise to first ask the people you want to "protect" . . .