REPORT: Stand to attention: Prayut reminds officials about ceremonial etiquette

[snoop1130]

REPORT: Stand to attention: Prayut reminds officials about ceremonial etiquette

By ATTAYUTH BOOTSRIPOOM 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha poises to later this week inspect and train state officials at the Government House so they could accurately perform the hand salute.

 

 move was inspired by the July 9 incident incident when Prayut, while presiding over the Bangkok's Din Daeng flat re-opening ceremony, spotted a male official wearing a uniform hat the wrong way.

 

Prayut, as a former military man, said civil servants’ hats should be worn in such a way that the back is higher than the front, which would then be at same level as the wearers’ eyes and thus shield them from the sun. He urged officials to wear the hats correctly in order to create a perfect and graceful look. 

 

He also went on to explain the accurate way to perform the hand salute: men must stand up straight, without bending their back or legs, and raise their right hand sharply, with fingers and thumb extended straight and joined while looking straight ahead. The feet must be so placed that the soles of the shoes are close together, with the toes pointing out at about 45 degrees. Prayut said that female officials, meanwhile, should bend both legs, with the left leg directly behind the right and on tip-toes, in order to perform a proper curtsy.

 

The origin of the perfect hand salute is not clearly stated although one account claims it dates back to Medieval times, when knights would lift their swords in salute to indicate a friendly gesture. Another account claims the tradition goes all the way back to the Ancient Greeks, when it was used to show that a person came in peace and without any weapon. Hand salutes during the Roman times would see military officers stretch out one hand in front to greet their superiors during inspection. The British Navy after World War I modified their original gesture of an outward open-hand salute to have the palm facing the ground. In fact, that “palm-down” salute has remained popular until the present day with officials in uniforms and hats. 

 

According to a Thai military training handbook, a standard hand salute is performed like this: upon hearing the order to salute, soldiers must stand upright, look straight ahead, sharply raise their right hand with fingers and thumb extended straight and joined so that the tip of the index finger touches the rim of the hat/visor slightly to the right of the eye. 

 

That is not all: the palm should be slightly open by 30 degrees towards the little finger. The upper right arm (humerus) should be out?stretched to the side on the same level as the shoulder with the lower right arm (radius) titled slightly forwards.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30349865

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-7-11

[stanleycoin]

Ha ha 

Who ate all the pies !!!!!!!!!!! 

[coulson]

While he's at it, he could train his deputies also...

[mok199]

someone please ''take a knee''

[Denim]

Oh....and expensive watches to the front when saluting.

 

[BigBadGeordie]

If this is a big issue to him, maybe he should be selling the "Big Issue" instead.

[stanleycoin]

The one, third in from the right.

Looks like his in the process of dropping a trouser trumpet. 

[coulson]

22 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

He urged officials to wear the hats correctly in order to create a perfect and graceful look

Practice what you preach

[Darcula]

26 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

accurately perform the hand salute

 

To and fro motion, makes a great nation.

[coulson]

26 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

He also went on to explain the accurate way to perform the hand salute: men must stand up straight, without bending their back or legs, and raise their right hand sharply, with fingers and thumb extended straight and joined while looking straight ahead

I could go on forever with this clown

[cmsally]

But they are not military men in the picture so why would they give a military salute !? breach of protocol hahahah. ?

[KhunBENQ]

Should you laugh or should you cry about the lectures of the big leader?

Well at least a field he should really know something about.

 

He forgot: don't sleep on the sofa when I sermonize

[kotsak]

25 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

The one, third in from the right.

Looks like his in the process of dropping a trouser trumpet. 

He is hoping it's a muted trumpet ?

[sammieuk1]

No cave divers in the front row looks more like an Asian  Warming ton on sea reunion featuring Arseo Lowe 3rd right.

[Odysseus123]

I  love the haircuts and all the medals,,the sizzling salutes and the hat introduced in the 1930's..when they thought that a certain European leader was a real humdinger...

 

It's kinda retro..and it's good  to see the palace eunuchs on parade.

[CanuckThai]

Civil servants will be practicing drill ...but change is coming.  The real bosses will demand it...

 

https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/5733897/chinese-students-march-and-salute.html

[metisdead]

Some troll posts and the replies have been removed. 

[tomta]

Prayuth is wisely following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor Field Marshal Phibulsongkram.The PM FM issued a set of 12 cultural mandates (much like Prayuth's 12 core values). One of them was about hat wearing.

 

 

"Pibulsongkram believed one of the ways for his nation to arrive at greatness in style was to wear hats—seriously he made people wear hats, and even had a slogan “Hats will lead Thailand to great power” because wearing hats was a symbol of civilization. "  https://americanexpatchiangmai.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/the-fascist-leader-that-shaped-modern-thailand-field-marshal-plaek-phibunsongkhram/

 

. The scary thing is that while Pibulsongkram's ideas about hats may just seem silly -like so much of what Prayuth says and does - he was immensely important in the creation of the texture of life in today's Thailand. Sixty years from now perhaps people will be discussing correct hat wearing and saluting technique without knowing where it comes from. Attitudes will be adjusted and no-one will really notice..

[Bluespunk]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

He also went on to explain the accurate way to perform the hand salute: men must stand up straight, without bending their back or legs, and raise their right hand sharply, with fingers and thumb extended straight and joined while looking straight ahead. The feet must be so placed that the soles of the shoes are close together, with the toes pointing out at about 45 degrees. Prayut said that female officials, meanwhile, should bend both legs, with the left leg directly behind the right and on tip-toes, in order to perform a proper curtsy

Someone’s being hitting the sauce. 

[lamyai3]

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

...spotted a male official wearing a uniform hat the wrong way.

I thought that was a secret sign? 

 

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

He also went on to explain the accurate way to perform the hand salute: men must stand up straight, without bending their back or legs, and raise their right hand sharply, with fingers and thumb extended straight and joined while looking straight ahead. 

And whatever happens, never use three fingers...

[baboon]

1 minute ago, Bluespunk said:

Someone’s being hitting the sauce. 

I know I have, but then I am not pettifogging about matters nobody else gives a crap about in the wake of the cave rescue and Phuket boat tragedy. Or if they in fact do, shame on them.

How grossly insensitive, how stupid, to release this on such a day? Why not just stay quiet for five bloody minutes before diverting the national narrative back to oneself?

[NCC1701A]

" Prayut said that female officials, meanwhile, should bend both legs, with the left leg directly behind the right and on tip-toes, in order to perform a proper curtsy."

 

 

my thoughts exactly.

[tifino]

1 hour ago, lamyai3 said:

I thought that was a secret sign? 

 

And whatever happens, never use three fingers...

... well, that'd be scouting for trouble!!

 

 

but, anyways - Fred Scuttle comes to mind

[observer90210]

They should be packed off for training with the doormen of 5 ***** hotels !

[stereolab]

If these Civil Servants are going to wear a uniform, then perhaps, based upon the initial photograph, they could

invest in an iron and ironing board, learn to stand up straight and lose some weight. 

[colinneil]

The PM said hats should be worn correctly to give a perfect and graceful look.

Well that bunch in the photo look anything but graceful, what a motley bunch they look.

[gk10002000]

siiigh.  Military and civilian stuff should be separate.  Oh wait, general led the coup

[gk10002000]

7 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

" Prayut said that female officials, meanwhile, should bend both legs, with the left leg directly behind the right and on tip-toes, in order to perform a proper curtsy."

 

 

my thoughts exactly.

And bow down and walk backwards? How about bring back the miniskirts of the late 60s and early 70s?

[jaiyen]

He should teach the Fat Toad to stay awake at meetings too !

[stanleycoin]

25 minutes ago, colinneil said:

The PM said hats should be worn correctly to give a perfect and graceful look.

Well that bunch in the photo look anything but graceful, what a motley bunch they look.

They could have taken a better photo than that.

it's well funny.