Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, Thailand's Information and Communications Technology Ministry announced it will go ahead with a criminal lawsuit against Google for running video clips on YouTube.com deemed offensive to the monarchy.

Last month Thailand blocked local access to YouTube after it failed to remove a video that belittled Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who celebrated his 60th year on the throne in 2006 and marks his 80th birthday this year.

Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said he will proceed on Friday with the case against Google at Thailand's criminal court and the ministry is studying the case to determine if the lawsuit can be filed in an international court.

Sitthichai admitted that YouTube has reportedly asked the Thai government "by e-mail" to send the controversial clips deemed insulting the King as evidence so it will remove them as requested by Thailand, but he said that the request showed that YouTube was "playing a game".

YouTube faced a similar situation in March, when Turkey banned the access to video website because of clips that described Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic, as a homosexual. YouTube responded by removing the offending videos.