Thai junta lifts ban on Thaksin's website
Saturday, 9 June 2007
BANGKOK, Jun 8 (AFP): Thailand's army-backed government announced Friday that it had lifted a ban on deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra's website, saying it no longer posed a security threat.
The junta blocked the Hi-Thaksin website a few days before the country's Constitutional Tribunal disbanded the former prime minister's Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party in a landmark ruling on May 30.
The court also barred Thaksin and 110 senior party leaders from politics for five years due to election law violations, but cleared the Democrat Party, TRT's main political rival, of similar vote fraud charges.
The government also lifted a ban on websites it had deemed anti- junta, but did not specify how many websites were affected by the move.
"Those websites no longer pose a threat," said information ministry spokesman Vissanu Mayoo.
The government has also blocked the video-sharing site YouTube over clips mocking Thailand's revered king, but is negotiating with the Google-owned company on removing the offending images.
But Thailand's government, which came to power after the coup that ousted Thaksin in September 2006, is facing growing public pressure with daily anti-junta protests in the capital Bangkok.
Pro-Thaksin groups have vowed to continue demonstrations until the military rulers step down.
Since the coup, Thaksin has lived in exile. He was in Tokyo Thursday and said he hoped to return to Thailand and live as a "normal citizen."
The post-coup government has said Thaksin has the right to return but may have to face charges over alleged corruption during his 2001- 2006 tenure.
The junta blocked the Hi-Thaksin website a few days before the country's Constitutional Tribunal disbanded the former prime minister's Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party in a landmark ruling on May 30.
The court also barred Thaksin and 110 senior party leaders from politics for five years due to election law violations, but cleared the Democrat Party, TRT's main political rival, of similar vote fraud charges.
The government also lifted a ban on websites it had deemed anti- junta, but did not specify how many websites were affected by the move.
"Those websites no longer pose a threat," said information ministry spokesman Vissanu Mayoo.
The government has also blocked the video-sharing site YouTube over clips mocking Thailand's revered king, but is negotiating with the Google-owned company on removing the offending images.
But Thailand's government, which came to power after the coup that ousted Thaksin in September 2006, is facing growing public pressure with daily anti-junta protests in the capital Bangkok.
Pro-Thaksin groups have vowed to continue demonstrations until the military rulers step down.
Since the coup, Thaksin has lived in exile. He was in Tokyo Thursday and said he hoped to return to Thailand and live as a "normal citizen."
The post-coup government has said Thaksin has the right to return but may have to face charges over alleged corruption during his 2001- 2006 tenure.