Facebook blocks video of Thailand's King wearing a crop top

The network appeared to confirm it was removing the video at the request of the government

(Borja Sanchez Trillo/Getty Images)

Facebook is banning people from seeing a video of Thailand's King wearing a crop top.

The controversial video shows the newly-crowned monarch walking in a shopping mall wearing a bright yellow crop top that shows the ornate tattoos on his arms, according to activists who are sharing it online. But it's not possible to share it on Facebook within Thailand, after the social network banned it.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun is shown walking alongside a woman, and is accompanied by men who appear to be a bodyguard.

Pictures of the King in such attire have circulated on the internet before. But this is thought to be the first video showing him before he became King, and changed his dress to be considerably more conservative.

The 64-year-old King took the throne after his father Bhumibol Adulyadej died earlier this year. The video was taken last June, according to reports, just months before.

Facebook suggested that the video was being removed in response to a request from Thai authorities.

“When governments believe something on the internet violates their laws, they may contact companies like Facebook and ask us to restrict access to that content,” a Facebook spokesperson told Vice News, which first reported on the apparent blocking.

Facebook was criticised last month for the way that it deals with controversial videos, after it emerged that it left footage of a Thai man killing his baby daughter publicly available for nearly 24 hours.