crying tears of joy

after almost 4 months of nationwide blocking of youtube.com in thailand, i am soooo freaking happy, crying tears of 'sensual' joy, when YT was 'reinstated' today.

in april 4, the New York Times said:

'“We have blocked YouTube because it contains a video insulting to our king,” said Winai Yoosabai, head of the censorship unit at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

Thailand’s ban on YouTube, the popular video-sharing Web site, came after YouTube’s owner, Google, refused to remove the video clip, the communications minister, Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, said.

The clip, crude and amateurish and lasting less than a minute, depicts the king with clown features painted onto his face and an image of feet pasted over his head, an insulting gesture in Thailand.

In Thailand, insulting King Bhumibol Adulyadej is a criminal offense. Last week, a Swiss man convicted of vandalizing images of the king and Queen Sirikit was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Since the military government came to power with the overthrow of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last September, it has banned Web sites, instructed the media to minimize reporting about Mr. Thaksin and has at times blacked out broadcasts of international news channels like CNN. Reporting in newspapers remains lively and apparently uncensored, except for criticism of the monarchy.

Mr. Winai said his department was looking for the person responsible for posting the clip of the king, which had been viewed more than 16,000 times and was posted by someone using the name Paddidda.'

there has been a lot of political, social, religious and economic unrest in Thailand since the military overtake September last year.

everyone is hoping that this would be a start of a 'more democratic', idiosyncratic as it may seem, governance.

oh, there's a big election happening on August.

whatever it is, i hope the Thais exercise their 'bigger' freedom to choose their leaders and 'meatier' share on how their Constitution will govern them.

i am not officially back to the World!