2007年VOA标准英语-Thailand Blocks YouTube Web Site Over Video of

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
05 April 2007

A video clip from the YouTube video sharing Web site deemed insulting to Thailand's revered¹ monarch² was removed after the Thai government had blocked access to the site. The controversy³ arose at a time of intense political debate on the Internet between supporters of the military rulers and opponents of the coup⁴ that ousted⁵ Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Ron Corben reports from Bangkok.

Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej sitting during his 79th birthday at the Palace in Bangkok, 05 Dec 2006

The 44-second video clip appeared on the YouTube video sharing Web site earlier this week. It showed crude graphics⁶ superimposed over grainy pictures of Thailand's King Bhumipol Adulyadej. The sound track was the Thai national anthem⁷.

Thailand's military government had appealed to Google to withdraw the clip and blocked access to the site, accusing YouTube of "heartlessness." The clip was "removed by the user", according to the Web page.

King Bhumipol, aged⁸ 79 and the world's longest reigning⁹ monarch, is deeply revered. Criticizing or offending the Thai Royal Family is a crime.

Roby Alampay, executive director of the South East Asian Press Alliance, said the clip hurt local sensitivities.

"Foreigners should understand, the world should understand this is really something that will really hurt the sensibilities and will really offend the Thai people. The King is a very respected, very much loved, very much revered figure in Thai society," he said.

But once news broke of the video clip's existence, the site was viewed 50,000 times in less than one day.

The episode has shown both the extent of political debate and questioning of Thai identity caused by enduring political tensions, and the extent of media controls.

Alampay says the military installed Prime Minister, Surayud Chulanont, has been tolerant of the media so far. But the lack of a new constitution means there are no laws in place to ensure media freedom, on the Internet or elsewhere.

"It is still officially a regime of censorship and at best a regime of tolerance¹⁰," Alampay said. "The unfortunate thing about that is that tolerance is never a stable enough environment - it's given to whims¹¹ - it's given to sensitivity - it's given to oversensitivity."

The military government has blocked Web sites and other media linked to supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a September 19 coup last year. It has also blocked other sites deemed insulting to the King.

Media watch groups estimate that Thai authorities have blocked 45,000 Web sites in recent years.

1 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

2 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

3 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

4 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

5 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

6 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

7 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

8 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

9 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

10 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

11 WHIMS   

虚妄，禅病

参考例句：

• The mate observed regretfully that he could not account for that young fellow's whims. 那位伙伴很遗憾地说他不能说出那年轻人产生怪念头的原因。
• The rest she had for food and her own whims. 剩下的钱她用来吃饭和买一些自己喜欢的东西。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹