Public Indecency at Wat Phra Kaew Spurs National Outrage and Debate

[KhunBENQ]

19 hours ago, Martin71 said:

Witness said Chinese..

Elephant pants and Xiaomi make it soo likely.

[Bday Prang]

7 hours ago, Lamar said:

There's the "Xiaomi" logo on the father's backpack, so they're probably Chinese - at least not "Farangs", but they could also be Thais. It's really a minor thing, which doesn't deserve such a xenophobic reaction. The "Netizens" who take such photos and distribute them are truly sinister and mentally ill individuals! They are the ones who harm their country the most!

Exactly it could hardly damage the reputation of anything if it was not plastered all over the internet along with all the hysterical outrage

[Bday Prang]

20 minutes ago, BritScot said:

Disgusting and perverted taking a photo like that of a child. In the uk you would find yourself in court and quite possibly behind bars but most definatly on a register. 

Along with all the people who one shared it with. and quite rightly too

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

 

While a picture only shows a fraction of a second, it is possible to look at what is happening and make certain assumptions.

 

Assuming they remained like this throughout, you can see that they don't seem embarrassed, they aren't trying to shield their daughter, and they aren't even offering help. At the very least, they appear quite casual about the whole thing, which can obviously give you some idea about their attitude towards it.

I would be reluctant to make any assumptions from the photograph , but probably most would act casual in this situation to avoid drawing attention to themselves, The father is stood behind her, maybe in an attempt to spoil the view for the other perverts,  how could they have helped her ? Squeezed her head a bit.

If they are indeed Chinese they probably consider this completely normal and will wonder what all the fuss is about. 

[Bday Prang]

3 hours ago, newnative said:

'National outrage'?  Hardly.  A couple thousand reactions, and a few hundred comments, not all negative, out of a population of 70 million.  Hold the almost always excessive hype already, it's getting so tiresome.

well said,    A couple of thousand comments, by a couple of thousand people, who probably spend their entire wasted lives doing nothing else except commenting on social media 

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, Jackbenimble said:

nobody is suggesting the kid should be arrested? The parents are responsible for everything the kid does anyway because.............he/she is just a kid! What is wrong with people on this thread? 

Exactly what is wrong with people on here getting their panties in a bunch over something so so trivial

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, Jackbenimble said:

you seem to be being contradictory for the sake of it. I know kids do pee in public - nobody is denying that. The location is the salient point here...........and the lack of parental involvement in what kid is doing. 

How should the parents have got more involved, exactly?   Urinating is a solo performance not a term sport for gods sake. Take a few minutes and consider how the Buddha himself might have reacted. It might make you a better, more tolerant  person

[Aussie999]

8 hours ago, NemoH said:

Like the old English saying - A man is a king in his castle. 
So the Thais can be king in Thailand and we are all guests. 
Next time we do anything, just remember whether a guest should behave like that..😊

SMH  mate stay in Thailand long enough  and travel, you will see Thais doing what they condemn tourists doing.

[Regyai]

20 hours ago, Martin71 said:

Witness said Chinese..

 

 

I said Chinese without even looking

[Foreign Jim]

Who are these spy wannabes who take photos and post to social media instead of calmly approaching the family? I am more outraged at the person who shared this photo than the family.

[Sig]

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

tarnish the image of Thai tourism.

🤣This has become a meme....

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed. 

[Bruce Aussie]

21 hours ago, Martin71 said:

Witness said Chinese..

That fairly normal to see in China. What's the fuss they are quality tourists.😄

[Nsp64]

Quite simply, thais are not ready for mass tourism.

Everything we do offends them but still they beg us to come. 

Quality tourists will come when there are quality locals to welcome them , not a bunch of moaning juveniles

 

 

[traveller101]

The post has "exploded" virally - 2600 reactions, a few hundred comments and 1400 shares.

Can only hope the family will be aware of this post .... and puts up a post voicing their concerns and/or opinion about pervs taking pictures of their little daughter in a compromising position - once back in China.

We might then get an idea what "virally exploding" really means.

[traveller101]

7 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

So leave if it's so bad. Is your country any better? 

Yes

[Xonax]

When Thailand offer visa free entrance for certain countries, they should also accept, that not all them are well behaved.

[phetpeter]

As we with young children know, they don't have the same ability to know when they need to go, perhaps more consideration from the parents would have been to go over the the bushes or onto the grass or a drain. but, it is a fact of life. it does no damage and is ok for a young child unless it is a no 2. Then the parent should put down some form of bag, or paper to collect and dispose of when the child is finished. But for an adult, it is a no-no.

[smew]

No decent public toilets… a child 

[Aleksey75]

22 hours ago, mark131v said:

Wait the AN hang 'em high brigade of purist's will be along shortly shouting about immediate removal from LoS post jail and lifetime bans!

 

It's a little kid ffs!!! what's the excuses of the multitude of local adults pissing at the side of the road or basically ignoring any rule or law they want even the ones that cause innocents to die on a daily basis? <deleted>!!!!

 

Thai hypocrisy and overt xenophobia strikes again, it's not very well hidden behind that false smile...

Right. While reading the article and comments, I was thinking "and what about those taxi drivers urinated bihind their cars by the roads in the light of a day, being seen by lots of people - why doesn't it cause outrage among the Thai netizens?!"

[Sigmund]

I think it is more the cheating all over towards foreigners that does tarnish the image of Thailand and makes tourists want to visit other countries.

[Sigmund]

7 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

the lady and the very typical visor

the guy..hat--yankees--elephant pants and backpack..seen many thai dudes dress this way???

and the thai guys tend to use the alley as i witness them daily on my bike ride....

try to get out into society more often.....and you will see

could be chinese american ?

[Maitdjai]

If you've devotedly bent down 50 times a day, being pulled over the table by your elites, and leaders, milked by corrupted authorities on a daily basis, and you're only allowed, due to customs, to smile about it, you might "outrage" about minor incidents like this. Just to safe your face in the mirror.

It's only human.

[Maitdjai]

If you've devotedly bent down 50 times a day, being pulled over the table by your elites, and leaders, milked by corrupted authorities on a daily basis, and you're only allowed, due to customs, to smile about it, you might "outrage" about minor incidents like this. Just to safe your face in the mirror.

It's only human.

[Maitdjai]

If you've devotedly bent down 50 times a day, being pulled over the table by your elites and politicians, milked by corrupted authorities on a daily basis, and you're only allowed, due to customs, to smile about it, you might "outrage" about minor incidents like this. Just to safe your face in the mirror.

It's only human.

[Maitdjai]

Duplicate  deleted.

[Zack61]

22 hours ago, wombat said:

The elephant 🐘  pants uniform is my guess

Although these pants are being worn by the locals now. I have seen many Thai women adorning themselves lately. 

[Gandtee]

On 5/9/2024 at 4:24 PM, snoop1130 said:

 

News broke into the public domain yesterday, May 8, as a foreign family sparked national outrage after allowing their daughter to urinate publicly at Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Wat Phra Kaew is not just a major tourist attraction but also a site deeply revered by Thais.

 

Harit Thavornkij, the eyewitness who exposed the incident, shared an image on his Facebook account of the deed taking place, right outside the palace, inciting a furious response from Thai netizens. Quickly gathering steam, this post has sparked a contentious debate, lightly touching on issues of tourism, respect, public decency and xenophobia.

 

The photo shows the unidentified foreign couple carelessly observing their young daughter relieving herself, an act perceived as a direct affront to the temple's sanctity. The post has since exploded virally, amassing over 2,600 reactions, 680 comments, and 1,400 shares, with netizens largely expressing dismay and anger.

 

Many clamoured for stringent actions against such disrespectful behaviour, with calls for blacklisting the family to safeguard national and religious monuments. Others called for a clampdown on visa regulations for tourists, as one user commented, "It's time to focus on quality tourists".

 

This indignation was noted by Tourism and Sports Minister Sermsak Phongpanich, who told MGR Online that the act was objectionable due to the temple's sanctity and could somewhat tarnish the image of Thai tourism.

 

However, not all opinions leaned toward outrage. A number of Thai citizens felt the reaction was overblown, highlighting that the young girl herself might have had an urgent need and was too little to understand the gravity of the situation. They argued against locking out tourists based on isolated incidents of misjudgement.

 

Amid this defining national debate, one Thai user called for equality in the treatment of offenders, suggesting the couple should face charges or fines as a Thai offender would have. The user cited a previous case where a Thai man was punished for spraying graffiti on Wat Phra Kaew's wall, bringing to light possible double-standards in the way local law perceives foreigners vis-a-vis Thai nationals.

 

Photo courtesy of The Thaiger

 

-- 2024-05-09

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Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. The sky is falling in. What do you do when a young child is taken short. The person that took the picture should be vilified. Should be ashamed of his or her self.

[geisha]

On 5/9/2024 at 4:54 PM, mark131v said:

Wait the AN hang 'em high brigade of purist's will be along shortly shouting about immediate removal from LoS post jail and lifetime bans!

 

It's a little kid ffs!!! what's the excuses of the multitude of local adults pissing at the side of the road or basically ignoring any rule or law they want even the ones that cause innocents to die on a daily basis? <deleted>!!!!

 

Thai hypocrisy and overt xenophobia strikes again, it's not very well hidden behind that false smile...

Yes. How about the mile s long queue of tuc tucs that pee on the beaches in Pattaya and Phuket ? Very nice for the little kids that play in the sand .

[Mr Meeseeks]

They are really starting to reveal their hatred of foreigners now.