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  • Thailand threatens to block facebook over Illegal picture of king in crop top, backs off

    Thailand has reportedly backed down from threats to sue Facebook if it did not remove “illegal” images of its new king from the social media platform by Tuesday morning.

    The Guardian reported Tuesday that the Thai government appeared to backed down on threats that it would proceed with legal action and block access to Facebook in the country unless the site pulled 131 “illicit” posts by 10 a.m. Reports indicate the social media site is still up and running in the country following the deadline's passing.

    One video, which seems to show now-King Maha Vajiralongkorn wearing a yellow crop top at a Munich mall last June, was reportedly pulled from the site earlier this month as per the country’s laws that ban content defaming the Thai monarchy. Vice News reported on May 8 that the video, which has been widely circulated, had been geo-blocked in Thailand.


    The video in question seems to show the Thai King strolling through the German mall with a bodyguard and a young woman, reportedly one of his mistresses. According to Vice News, the video was taken in June 2016, just a few months before the October death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

    Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws — which state that any person who “defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent” will face up to 15 years in prison — put Facebook in a difficult position. As Facebook continues to broaden its reach overseas, Mark Zuckerberg has said the company is attempting to maintain a free speech platform while respecting local laws.

    A Facebook spokesperson told International Business Times in a statement, “When governments believe that something on the Internet violates their laws, they may contact companies like Facebook and ask us to restrict access to that content.”

    “When we receive such a request, we review it to determine if it puts us on notice of unlawful content. If we determine that it does, then we make it unavailable in the relevant country or territory and notify people who try to access it why it is restricted,” the spokesperson added.

    Thailand officially entered its one-year period of mourning in October following the death of beloved King Bhumibol after he reigned for more than seven decades, one of the longest reigning monarchs in history.