Public Indecency at Wat Phra Kaew Spurs National Outrage and Debate

[Lamar]

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!

Edited May 9 by Lamar

[ronster]

12 hours ago, Martin71 said:

Witness said Chinese..

Chinese whispers !

Although his backpack might give him away 😄

[loong]

11 hours ago, NativeBob said:

elephant pants. no thai will wear this nonsense outfit.

I see numerous Thai people wearing them every single day.
It is only snobby Farangs that look down at them!

[Spock]

12 hours ago, Martin71 said:

Witness said Chinese..

They look Chinese to me and stands to reason they would be. The girl might not be at fault but the parents certainly are.

[blazes]

From the father's neck, he would seem to be Communist Asian.  Well, foreigner anyway.😸

 

[RonJr]

12 hours ago, Dr. Zorg said:

How do they know they're foreigners? They could be Thai?

 

You can tell they Chinese by moms goofy a$$ hat and both thier oblivious blank stares at daughter watering the edge of temple 

 

She so short she can't even see above wall but parents can! 

 

I wonder if the other 25 Chinese in thier tour group saw this too?  

I know they weren't touring alone 😉

[spermwhale]

Well at least she wasn't pooping in a gutter like one Chinese man did a few years ago in front of diners at a  streetside restaurant. 

[RonJr]

14 minutes 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!

I think some writers are emotionally sensitive

or politically scared to list some nationalities as not to offend or make it look like they piling on farangs lately 😆

 

Lately instead of Russian or brit I see a foreigner or expat used instead but you usually can tell in two seconds flat when a Russian 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

12 hours ago, Dr. Zorg said:

How do they know they're foreigners? They could be Thai?

 

 

Like the chap who recently drove his car on the beach. Outrage! Deport him! And then he turned out to be Thai 😆

[nobodysfriend]

All that outrage because a little girl could not hold it until the next public toilet ...

What damage was done ? Is Thailand's reputation now tarnished ?

Public outcry ? Ridiculous .

 

Buddha himself would have been more tolerant , I'm sure ...

[Spock]

4 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

All that outrage because a little girl could not hold it until the next public toilet ...

What damage was done ? Is Thailand's reputation now tarnished ?

Public outcry ? Ridiculous .

 

Buddha himself would have been more tolerant , I'm sure ...

There's grass and a hedge behind. More appropriate spots to pee seem to be in abundance.

[Bangkok Barry]

9 hours ago, mark131v said:

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

 

Correct. Was there the same outrage when a Thai drove through a red light and killed an elderly foreigner a few days ago? But no - a young child has to go when they have to go, and were there even toilets available? Thailand has a very ugly side to it, but if you 'broadcast' it on social media you might be threatened by the police and are a 'threat to national security'.

[cookie1974]

If thats all it takes to spark "national outrage" they should have a look at the news in thailand and the acts commited by thai nationals before they start pointing the finger at a kid being caught short in a public place (which i do agree is somewhat disrespectful in its context) but its a child for heavens sake total over reaction in my view

[thailand49]

12 hours ago, NativeBob said:

elephant pants. no thai will wear this nonsense outfit.

Wrong, very popular right now this Songkran period at local shops and markets.

[thailand49]

12 hours ago, NativeBob said:

elephant pants. no thai will wear this nonsense outfit.

Wrong, very popular right now this Songkran period at local shops and markets.

[sungod]

12 hours ago, Martin71 said:

Witness said Chinese..

 

If correct this is truely a step in the right direction for them, not long ago they were taking dumps in the road.

[sungod]

31 minutes ago, RonJr said:

I think some writers are emotionally sensitive

or politically scared to list some nationalities as not to offend or make it look like they piling on farangs lately 😆

 

Lately instead of Russian or brit I see a foreigner or expat used instead but you usually can tell in two seconds flat when a Russian 

 

In the current climate, had it been a farang, I would expect the full force of the law would have been used to track the family down and publicly chastise the parents

[Zack61]

I’m sure Buddha would be more forgiving of this child’s actions than all these thin skinned, righteous netizens.

[thailand49]

It is tough to accept in my opinion for Thai, they are in general raise and educated in a particular way. That way is very prejudice you point it out you are the bad guy it is a no win situation especially if you aren't Thai.

All Falls under the heading " This is a Thailand "

Stories like these making something out of nothing as if locals dont do things like this!  At times it is as they want to cover up their own shot comings by placing blame on foreigner.🤔

Thai leaders could do better by providing a better education generally exposing their people to others outside of Thailand so they could solve problems instead of blaming blaming.

[craighj]

Anything bad automatically it is a foreigner who did it even though they were not identified!  Though this is typical Chinese type behaviour, Thai love the Chinese 🤣🤣🤣

[Chongalulu]

1 hour 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..😊

PAYING guests,and if enough of them decide not to be guests and pay what then for Thai tourism?

[Chongalulu]

11 minutes ago, thailand49 said:

Thai leaders could do better by providing a better education generally exposing their people to others outside of Thailand so they could solve problems instead of blaming blaming

Are you unaware of the problems a decent education would cause  for those responsible for arranging it....?

[sikishrory]

"NATIONAL OUTRAGE" again! Because someone had a piss.

Meanwhile, yesterdays news of British expat run over and killed. How did it go again? Cops don't care. Cameras "not working". Van/taxi driver no alchohol test. Nobody gives a F.

But hey kiddo, don't p*ss near our temple

[Expat Tom]

Child rearing is not an easy task. It might be very confusing for non-Thais coming here for the first time. 

I see Thai men taking a leak publicly against the wall many places is Thailand. I have seen Thai women doing the same. I live in a very nice condo and the smell of urine in the streets is quite commonplace so a foreigner might be forgiven for not know exactly where public urination is allowed in Thailand and where it is not allowed. 

[wombat]

13 hours ago, Dr. Zorg said:

How do they know they're foreigners? They could be Thai?

 

The elephant 🐘  pants uniform is my guess

[RobU]

I think this is a way out of proportion media storm created by incompetent journalists trawling the internet for. 'stories' instead of getting out and doing a proper job. When a child is caught short there is nothing can be done except let the do it.  For god's sake, it's a child, how is it disgusting, poor little thing. I have seen many grown thai men who  could obviously find a more discrete place urinating in public simply  pulling it out and peeing 

[RobU]

2 minutes ago, sikishrory said:

"NATIONAL OUTRAGE" again! Because someone had a piss.

Meanwhile, yesterdays news of British expat run over and killed. How did it go again? Cops don't care. Cameras "not working". Van/taxi driver no alchohol test. Nobody gives a F.

But hey kiddo, don't p*ss near our temple

Remember AN is now owned by the Thaiger 

[thailand49]

5 minutes ago, Chongalulu said:

Are you unaware of the problems a decent education would cause  for those responsible for arranging it....?

I'm very aware,  you got it right if the Thai leader would they will no longer be in control.

Thus the reason thing wont change.

[andygrr]

15 hours ago, 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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How can someone equat this to a Thai spraying graffiti.

[Leadidge]

13 hours ago, zhounan said:

If the Mr. Harit Thavornky had indicated to tourists where the closer toilet was instead of taking the photo secretly, with the pure intention of triggering the wave of hatred, now all this would not have happened.

It was already happening and he took a photo! Pointing a toilet location wouldn’t help and perhaps he didn’t know.  
Ridiculous comment!!