Thailand Axes Anti-Monarchy Website

Critical postings, government shutdown may spark legal fight
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 6, 2008 6:32 PM CST
Thailand Axes Anti-Monarchy Website
Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej leaves Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok after visiting his elder sister Princess Galyani Vadhana until her death Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008. Princess Galyani Vadhana died at the hospital Wednesday. The Thai government shut down a political website which complained about the...   (Associated Press)

A Thai ministry has shut down a website critical of the country's monarchy, the AP reports. Postings on Sameskybooks.com questioned news accounts that all citizens mourned the king's sister, who died Wednesday, and criticized officials. "I think we're one of the few sites posting remarks against the monarchy," Thanapol Eiwsakul, who ran the site, told a Thai newspaper. "This is the price we are paying."

Thailand’s technology ministry told a local Internet service provider that it would be shut down if the site wasn’t. Thanapol said he doesn’t know if he’ll face charges, but he may take legal measures against the government himself, since it didn’t get a court order to close the site. He hopes a foreign Internet service will let him put the site back online. (More Thailand stories.)

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