Thai cabinet revokes army order to censor Internet

BANGKOK, July 3 (Reuters) Thailand's military-appointed cabinet lifted today an order by the coup council to shut down Web sites deemed threatening to the constitutional monarchy, Communication Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said.

Future shutdowns of such sites would have to be done by a court order after the revocation of the council's order, which required the approval of the army-appointed parliament, he said.

''I am sick of accusations by those NGOs that the order was dictatorial,'' Sitthichai told Reuters.

''After the National Legislative Assembly revokes the law, a court order will be needed to shut down a Web site.'' Internet freedom advocacy group Freedom Against Censorship in Thailand said in January Internet censorship in Thailand rose more than five times to more than 13,000 sites after an elected civilian government was ousted in a bloodless September coup.

Sitthichai denied the accusation, saying he had ordered the closure only of sites run by two groups of supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but the groups had various ''mirror sites,'' which he had to close, too.

''Under my term, I have closed down about 200 sites, most of which were pornographic,'' he said.

The most controversial shutdowns was on video-sharing site YouTube, which has been blocked since April after it declined to withdraw video clips mocking the country's revered monarch.

REUTERS PD HT1705