Thai culture ministry bans love songs

[george]

BIG BROTHER: You can't be serious!

Published on Aug 22, 2003

Our moral guardians want to ban 18 'offensive' songs, including one that has been around for 20 years

The Culture Ministry's fight for the moral high ground is approaching new levels with its latest plan to ban 18 songs about love affairs which it deems offensive to "public decency".

The banned songs include those by two well-known artists, Suthep Wongkamhaeng and Chai Muang-sing.

The ministry wants the Public Relations Department to stop state-run radio and TV station broadcasting the songs.

Permanent Secretary to the Culture Ministry MR Chakrarot Chitrabongs said yesterday that the ministry's Cultural Watch Centre had determined that the songs had "improper" content and should be banned.

Chakrarot said he did not think the ban would violate individual rights, but allowing such songs to air could be regarded as violating the rights of people who disliked them.

Rather than being overly conservative, Chakrarot said, the agency was simply doing its job in preventing possible negative changes to society.

National Broadcasting Board member Phra Mahachow Thassa-neeyo said that, at the ministry's request, his board had warned record labels not to distribute songs that could be construed as encouraging sexual promiscuity or marital infidelity.

"If the warning is ignored, songs of this nature might face a permanent ban on all broadcasting outlets," the monk said.

Suthep said yesterday that he was surprised that his song, "Pid Tang Rak" (Wrong Way to Love), faces a ban nearly 20 years after its release.

"I see nothing wrong with the lyrics. The song is about a man who falls in love with a woman, but it's a one-sided affair - as if he's in a dream world. There's nothing immoral or provocative," the veteran singer said.

"I will have to explain this to the committee that deals with the matter," Suthep said.

He said the Culture Ministry should think about banning newer songs that contain vulgar and suggestive lyrics about indecent behaviour, particularly those in the look thung (folk music) genre.

Actress Sinjai Plengpanich, who sang the original "Chan Rak Pua Khao" (I Love Her Husband), one of the songs set to face the Culture Ministry ban, said such songs merely reflected events in society, but would not encourage people to do indecent things.

Sinjai said the song in question was more popular among adults than children.

"I agree that some songs are unsuitable for younger people. If the Culture Ministry is really serious about keeping order on the content of songs, they should set up a ratings system to designate the intended listeners," Sinjai said.

Jintana Suksanan, a fan of singer Lhong Longlai, yesterday voiced disagreement to the ban on his song "Choo" (Lover).

She said the lyrics were intended to be sarcastic and amusing - an evident characteristic of look thung songs - rather than encouraging indecent behaviour.

"Serious people don't listen to this kind of music [look thung]," she added.

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Banned

Excerpts from some of the compositions on the Ministry of Culture's blacklist of immoral songs:

"I Fear No Sins" by Yinglee Sreechumpol

"I know you have a wife, I've got used to that and I don't care,

All I can do is look at you; I want to hold your heart,

Let them gossip, I don't care, I don't want to fight with her, You are married, yet so tempting…"

***

"My Wife Had An Affair" by Chai Muangsing

"My wife has had an affair, it's the talk of the town,

She left years of marriage and our children behind,

My blue-blooded sweetheart, you don't care about morals, Always acting like Western stars do…"

***

"I Love Her Husband" by Sinjai Plengpanich

"I am obsessed with a secret love for her husband,

People will call me names for loving her husband,

But forget about the ####, it's a true love…"

***

"I Know That, But I Still Love You" by Charas Phuang-arom

"I know, I know, I know you have a sweetheart,

But I don't know why I cannot get over you,

And why am I still crazy for you as days and nights go by?"

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The Blacklist - 18 Songs to Be Banned

1. "I Fear No Sins" (Bo Yan Bab) by Yinglee Sreechumpol

2. "I Fear Sin" (Ai Yan Bab) by Phaithoon Nhunchoke

3. "Big Flabby Buttocks" (Tai Aon Yaon) by Phaithoon Nhunchoke

4. "Secret Lover" (Choo Tang Jai) by Dhanin Indarathep

5. "Wrong Way To Love" (Pid Tang Rak) by Suthep Wongkamhaeng

6. "Leftovers" (Suan Kern) by Dowjai Paijit

7. "One Woman, Two Men" (Nueng Ying, Song Chai) by Dowjai Paijit

8. "I Love Her Husband" (Chan Rak Pua Khao) by Sinjai Plengpanich

9. "My Wife Had An Affair" (Mia Pee Mee Choo) by Chai Muangsing

10. "Tears Of A Lieutenant's Wife" (Num Ta Mia Nai Roi) by Jintara Poonlab

11. "Lover" (Choo Rak) by Why Not Seven

12. "A Mistress' Ultimatum" (Kham Khad Mia Noi) by Kanista Thaidachai

13. "A Step-husband" (Pua Boontham) by Samphan Seripab

14. "Lover" (Choo) by Lhong Longlai

15. "Love In Mind" (Rak Nai Jai) by Winai Panthurak

16. "The Door Crushes The Hand" (Pratu Neeb Mue) by Paijit Aksornnarong

17. "I Know That, But I Still Love You" (Tang Roo Koh Rak) by Charas Phuang-arom

18. "Is It Sinful For Us To Love?" (Bab Nak Rue Ta Rao Ja Rak Kan) by Suthep Wongkamhaeng

--The Nation 2003-08-22

[Dexlowe]

"Tom, Tom, where you go last night, I love Thailand, I love Patpong."

Carabao at their finest --

BTW -- what the #### is the Culture Watch Centre???? Is it a new censorship board?

My sympathies to all the orphans, the abandoned "love" children, the street kids, the abandoned wives and mothers or women living in "luckless" marriages, the mia nois living on empty promises, the "service" girls -- it seems that now your stories will never be told. Sorry, but you're not PC in Thailand anymore. Somtow come back, we need you more than ever.

Dex.

[bkkgs]

This might be so absurd that it should be laughable, but- what is next- political messages and statements that are offensive? Or someone looks offensive so ban the way they dress or wear their hair? Where is this going? Tie it in with the entertainment crackdown. How far is that going to go? How much is there going to be to smile about here by the time these crew is through?

[ChiangMaiThai]

This current government is insane. Obviously they take no lessons from history. The more you repress something, the more it fights back, the more appealing it becomes.

[KhunLouis]

There is no limit to the 'Ridicule'...

What will be next ?

Forbidding people holding hands in streets??

Taksin/Chakrarot, we know that the ridicule has never killed and there is no limit to it..May be you want to play a funny comedy to make the APEC delegates laugh..cause they wont have much to do in Bangkok except going to Chuwit's parlours which probably will be well protected...    

[D80]

It's rediculous that these songs are banned.  Thailand is getting closer and closer to dictatorship at this rate.  The reasons given by the people involved are just SOOOOO PATHETIC!!  

I read this on the news website in the UK as well and am really ashamed of how stupid these people in high positions sound!  From the Tiscali website in the UK, one guy involved in this rediculous ban said something along the line of 'Freedom of speech doesn't mean we have to talk about sex all the time'!  Ah, for crying out loud!!!!  Of course it doesn't but it also doesn't mean that you cannot talk about sex!!! It means you can CHOOSE to talk or not to talk about it!  Bloody ####!  What a moron!

There are songs in the list that I've heard of as a child & teenagers , songs that are so beautiful to listen to.  And some of them don't even encourage the so-called improper behaviour, like Mr Suthep's song or Mr Sharat's song.

God, this is one of the few times I feel ashamed of the way my country is run!  When will those idiots become extinct!

Sorry about the violence in my post, must have been effected badly by all the bad music in my youth!

[pschef]

What’s going on? We live in a world with pestilence and mayhem, the Thai minister only cares about songs that help people live with this. I can’t believe this must be a wind up? Give us a break, let the look Thung  (folk music) live on for everyone.

(Pid Tang Rak) has nothing immoral or rude in the lyrics as far as I know, it just about a one sided love story? We have all been there? Like D80 says it’s pathetic, they must have nothing better to do, or are they trying to take our mind away from the other stupidity in Thai government? Okay we have corrupt officials, solve the problem. Move them to another province or just shoot the bugger? Better still kill all his family as well. Come on the drug lords are still as active and the make more money now, try and see a better way Mr. Taksin how much do you Thai Rak Thai

???  

[wolf5370]

This will simply boost the sales of bootleg copies of these CDs. It will also be an invitation to the 'young and rebelious' to make more music that really is what the so-called "Cultural Watch Centre"  is trying to be rid of.

Now more than ever. With internet radio and PC Software that can operate as quasi-professional studios, how do you stop it?

If I remember right didn't Ad Carabou get it name as a group when the lead singer was kicked out of LOS and went to the Philipines to write music? Sure I remember reading something about that - can't find any info on the Web to jog my memory though...

[Dexlowe]

Ban this Xmas song:

"I saw Mummy kissing Santa Claus

Underneath the mistletoe last night . . .

Oh what a laugh it would have been

If Daddy had only seen

Mummy kissing Santa Claus last night."

Disgusting stuff. I don't want my daughter exposed to this!

[pschef]

How about Hermins Hermits No Milk today ???

[wolf5370]

Or anything by Madona (videos especially).