Bangkok - The Thai government decided Thursday not to sue Google.Inc after the internet search giant reportedly promised to remove all anti-monarchy videos from its YouTube.com website, media reports said. Information and Communications Technology Minister Sitthichai Pokaiyaudom said he had received an official letter from a Google vice president saying that the US company did not want to promote hostile feelings over the video clips, said the Bangkok Post newspaper's online news service.
Earlier this week Sitthichai had vowed to proceed on Friday with the case against Google at Thailand's criminal court after the Internet giant rejected initial appeals to remove controversial video clips from its affiliate YouTube.com deemed insulting to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand's revered monarch who this year celebrates his 80th birthday.
Thailand has strict lese majeste laws that make it a criminal offence to mock the royal family.
Sitthichai has argued that Google had bowed to China's requests to block certain topics deemed politically sensitive, such as all references to democracy, so he saw no reason why it could not act similarly over Thailand's sensitivities over its revered monarch.
The ministry has blocked local access to YouTube since April 4, shortly after the first offensive clip appeared on the popular website, which relies on contributions from the public at large.
Increasing government censorship of websites was cited as one of the reasons Thailand was downgraded earlier this month to 127th place out of 195 countries on the Freedom House ranking of press freedom.
Last year Thailand ranked 107th in the same listing.
