The Thai government retained a ban

The Thai government retained a ban on the popular YouTube video website despite the removal of a short film deemed insulting to the country's beloved monarch.
Even though the offending video was withdrawn, the site still featured at least one still frame from the contentious 44-second clip, said Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, the minister of information and technology, on Thursday.
"That's not enough. We want the picture removed too before we unblock it," said Sitthichai, who added that Thai authorities have contacted YouTube to request it remove all traces of the video.
Sitthichai had said Thai authorities blocked YouTube on Wednesday after its owner, Google Inc., turned down his request to remove the clip.
The video, which showed graffitti-like elements crudely painted over a photograph slideshow of 79-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has "been removed by the user," said a notice posted Thursday on the page where it used to be.
One part of the removed clip juxtaposed pictures of feet over the king's image _ a major cultural taboo for Thais since feet are considered extremely dirty and offensive. The soundtrack was the Thai national anthem.
Sitthichai said he had not heard back from the company about his new request to remove the still photo.
"It's hard to tell how (the company) will respond. In some countries, it's a norm to have their leaders mocked, but this is different. With the king, it is very offensive to the Thai public," Sitthichai said.
When Sitthichai approached Google to remove the video, the company told him the site contained material which attacked U.S. President George W. Bush far more harshly than the Thai king had been mocked.
After the site was blocked and news of the ban circulated, the number of viewers of the video skyrocketed, with more than 40,000 visiting the site in about 24 hours, according to statistics posted on YouTube. Total views reached 66,553 before the video was pulled.
Although the clip raised the issue about freedom of expression in Thailand, many viewers also reacted with outrage, hurling abuse at the clip's creator, self-described as 30-year-old "paddidda" based in the United States.
YouTube was one of a number of websites deemed insulting to the king and blocked by Thailand's military-installed government, Sitthichai said.
© 2006 AP DIGITAL