Government officials in Thailand confirm the government banned numerous web sites in 2008

A government official in Bangkok confirmed the Thai government has banned access to more than 2,300 web sites throughout 2008, citing multiple reasons why internet users can't view them.

Most of the web sites banned allegedly offend the Thai monarchy, with web sites hosting pornographic content and national security threats also recently banned. Most of the banned web sites -- around 90 percent -- were registered overseas, and weren't based in Thailand.

Insulting the monarchy in Thailand, described as "lese majeste," has a prison sentence up to 15 years according to Thai officials. The penalty is especially important now as the country undergoes political tensions as Thais supporting ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra continue to seek general elections in the nation.

The list of banned web sites in Thailand has been leaked online, with content including YouTube videos, cartoons, blogs and articles published online.

Several nations are notorious for blocking Internet access to certain web sites, which usually involve politics or defamation of a country's president or leader. The Communist-led Chinese government is best known for blocking access to web sites deemed inappropriate for citizens.

Ref site : http://www.dailytech.com/