Painting temples gold can land you in jail, warns Fine Art Department

By The Nation

 

 

After a report of historical temples being painted gold triggered an uproar on social media, the Culture Ministry’s Fine Art Department on Wednesday warned people to stop unauthorised painting of national heritage monuments as it violates the law.

 

Social media users expressed shock and dismay that ancient Thai temples were being renovated in gold paint, damaging national heritage and violating laws aimed at protecting and preserving the nation’s birthright. 

 

In a Facebook posting, Keangjit Lertsiri, former Fine Art Department officer, wrote that “over 100 temples in Thailand were painted with gold paint of the TOA brand” and asked the Fine Art Department to take action against the illegal defacement.

 

Among the painted temples are Wat Photaram and Wat Lao Thong in Supan Buri and Wat Sri Samosorn in Chainat.

 

TOA promotes its new acrylic paint as containing high-quality shiny gold pigments. Its “TOA Gold” paint is sold under the motto “The Gold Colour of Faith: Preserve Temples for Community”.

 

Under the law, the Fine Art Department must give consent for any refurbishment work on historic monuments and sites in the country.

 

“Any renovation plans have to be approved by the Fine Art Department to be legal,” Anandha Chuchoti, the Department’s director general said.

 

Anandha has assigned chief archaeologists to check heritage buildings across the Kingdom and stop any unapproved conservation work.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30357176

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-25

Maybe they could get Scouser Lee to paint them all white again?

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Its “TOA Gold” paint is sold under the motto “The Gold Colour of Faith: Preserve Temples for Community”.

 

TOA might need to quickly develop "The Brown Colour That Envelopes Everything" now.

Don't see what's the big deal, its only a Buddhist temple.

seen one golden temple seen them all. 

 

I think it looks very nice. Good paint job. 

 

28 minutes ago, Darcula said:

 

TOA might need to quickly develop "The Brown Colour That Envelopes Everything" now.

Perhaps a good name for it might be Manilla Envelope Brown.

52 minutes ago, Darcula said:

 

TOA might need to quickly develop "The Brown Colour That Envelopes Everything" now.

Priceless!

 

It' also possible that someone, possibly a rival paint maker, knows someone at the Fine Arts department.

It’s as if the people who painted these temples don’t understand the religion they’re following. 

 

And there was me thinking you could simply be virtuous and enlightened simply cos of where you’re from and the religion you claim to follow. 

Of course, there was nobody in the Sangha to get in touch with TOA, normal, as nobody from the 'culture' ministry did see anything either. This must be a very new phenomenon according to the present reaction of these 'mandarins' of 'the system'. A total surprise. What happened, f.i., to the Laem Sor pagoda on Koh Samui, ...years ago already, must have escaped to these Krung Thep eyes too?

As a parody of an old, pitch black,  jewish joke: can I please deliver the paint...

Ba-ah, what a dirty corrupt country this is, unbelievable! And thinking some fools, millions of them, me one, believed in 'changes and reforms' to be coming soon...  

Rather doubtful that any foreigners would be involved in refurbishing temples in Thailand ? ? ?

1 minute ago, bangrak said:

Of course, there was nobody in the Sangha to get in touch with TOA, normal, as nobody from the 'culture' ministry did see anything either. This must be a very new phenomenon according to the present reaction of these 'mandarins' of 'the system'. A total surprise. What happened, f.i., to the Laem Sor pagoda on Koh Samui, ...years ago already, must have escaped to these Krung Thep eyes too?

As a parody of an old, pitch black, WW2 jewish joke: can I please deliver the paint...

Ba-ah, what a dirty corrupt country this is, unbelievable! And thinking some fools, millions of them, me one, believed in 'changes and reforms' to be coming soon...

P.S.: on top of it the 'guys'(?) at Laem Sor pagoda must have ordered a wrong paint code: the colour is quite dull, very light, like paled down 18ct farang gold...

13 minutes ago, observer90210 said:

Rather doubtful that any foreigners would be involved in refurbishing temples in Thailand ? ? ?

But my wife is a Thai national, when that'd solve the problem for you. Are we in business? LOL

12 minutes ago, bangrak said:

But my wife is a Thai national, when that'd solve the problem for you. Are we in business? LOL

Well if you are planing to make partnership and hire the Chang Mai wall graffiti tourists, it could solve the problem and get into business maybe ? ????

2 hours ago, rkidlad said:

It’s as if the people who painted these temples don’t understand the religion they’re following. 

 

And there was me thinking you could simply be virtuous and enlightened simply cos of where you’re from and the religion you claim to follow. 

...or you could be misguidedly critical of a religion you don't understand.

 

The cultural ignorance is a bonus. Well done!

56 minutes ago, bangrak said:

Of course, there was nobody in the Sangha to get in touch with TOA, normal, as nobody from the 'culture' ministry did see anything either. This must be a very new phenomenon according to the present reaction of these 'mandarins' of 'the system'. A total surprise. What happened, f.i., to the Laem Sor pagoda on Koh Samui, ...years ago already, must have escaped to these Krung Thep eyes too?

As a parody of an old, pitch black,  jewish joke: can I please deliver the paint...

Ba-ah, what a dirty corrupt country this is, unbelievable! And thinking some fools, millions of them, me one, believed in 'changes and reforms' to be coming soon...  

Only some time after February 2019. Mark your calendar.

11 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

...or you could be misguidedly critical of a religion you don't understand.

 

The cultural ignorance is a bonus. Well done!

What’s so difficult to understand?

 

Don’t conflate being critical of anything with not understanding it. It’s a tired old argument often used by those who don’t understand themselves or are hiding something. 

4 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

Don't see what's the big deal, its only a Buddhist temple.

seen one golden temple seen them all. 

 

I think it looks very nice. Good paint job. 

 

Just a lump of  old concrete in my eyes.

This is the same department that was pilloried last year, after attacking Wat Arun with industrial quantities of tippex...

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/whiter-wat-arun-thai-govt-defends-temple-dawns-makeover-following-social-media-backlash/

Painting a disheveled old temple with gold paint is in some ways a metaphor for this place.

Hmm, fine art department... The temple where I live used "skilled workers approved by the fine art department" renovating some buildings last year, and as they were skilled workers they had to pay them over 1,000 Baht a day instead of the 300 Baht minimum. Now, less than a year later, the paint is falling off the walls and decorations as they clearly didn't know what they were doing, but still, they had their official papers from the fine art department declaring them to be skilled workers...

If these are functioning temples, they should be able to paint any color they want. Thai temples are usually not "Danish modern" style, often rightfully proud of all the glitter, mirrors worked into design, etc. I reckon just another example of turf wars as fine arts bureaucracy trying to grab some authority over religious section.

12 hours ago, bangrak said:

P.S.: on top of it the 'guys'(?) at Laem Sor pagoda must have ordered a wrong paint code: the colour is quite dull, very light, like paled down 18ct farang gold...

It's been yellow forever, actually a new gold colour would look good in this case.

Why this urge to protect the heritage when almost every Wat has a museum that holds relics from the past and none? of them try to conserve or protect the items! Think about the war instruments (swords, spears, knives and muskets) that you see rusting away on shelves!