Thai Student Nazi Dress-Up Day Causes Outrage

[uptheos]

The next time I am being labelled anti (insert your choice), I wonder just how far the reply, "I think that really it was done out of ignorance not out of bad intentions," would fly?

As an ambassador, he's not going to say anything that will harm relations........he's being diplomatic.

But how embarrassing for a country, to be told by another countries ambassador, that basically your country's educational system is turning out ignorant people and needs shaking up.

[Pakboong]

And don't forget that Arabs comprise the largest subcomponent of the Semitic race.

See my last point. This is getting silly. Antisemitism refers ONLY to Jews. That is a fact. Look at any dictionary.

"Is this the 5 minute argument or the full half hour?"

I'm too dense to get your joke. Some points aren't debatable as there is no credible opposing argument. Suggesting the meaning of antisemitism refers to all semites is such a specious assertion. It's like arguing that water isn't a liquid.

I am certain that JingThing is correct here.

[uptheos]

"Is this the 5 minute argument or the full half hour?"

I'm too dense to get your joke. Some points aren't debatable as there is no credible opposing argument. Suggesting the meaning of antisemitism refers to all semites is such a specious assertion. It's like arguing that water isn't a liquid.

I am certain that JingThing is correct here.

He was just throwing in a line from a famous Monty Python sketch.

[Pakboong]

This is very strange and is smacks of total ignorance of WWII history and Nazi Germany. Don't these teachers read? If I am not mistaken, this is NOT the first time it has happened in Thailand.

Don't take it so seriously, it's only a fancy dress

Sure, tell that to the allied troops taken prison and executed by people wearing that uniform. Tell it to the thousands of non combatants brutalized by people in those uniforms. Sorry, but many members of my family volunteered for service and did not have happy memories of such uniforms.I have an obligation not to forget their sacrifice so that I could be free today and so that people like you could offer insensitive selfish comments without ending up in a concentration camp.

A Nazi Pow camp was the safest place in the theater to wait out the war. The mortality rate was about 3.5% you would think that many would have died of natural causes. Many downed air crews were taken prisoner with serious orthopedic injuries. That also includes Jewish prisoners. The mortality rate for Japanese camps was close to 25%. The mortality rate flying over Germany in a B17 was many times higher. Soviet prisoners were not treated well at all: they were not signatories to the Geneva convention.

Wiki data: By comparison, 8,348 Western Allied prisoners died in German camps during 1939–45 (3.5% of the 232,000 total).[48

[roamer]

This is very strange and is smacks of total ignorance of WWII history and Nazi Germany. Don't these teachers read? If I am not mistaken, this is NOT the first time it has happened in Thailand.

Don't take it so seriously, it's only a fancy dress

Sure, tell that to the allied troops taken prison and executed by people wearing that uniform. Tell it to the thousands of non combatants brutalized by people in those uniforms. Sorry, but many members of my family volunteered for service and did not have happy memories of such uniforms.I have an obligation not to forget their sacrifice so that I could be free today and so that people like you could offer insensitive selfish comments without ending up in a concentration camp.

A Nazi Pow camp was the safest place in the theater to wait out the war. The mortality rate was about 3.5% you would think that many would have died of natural causes. Many downed air crews were taken prisoner with serious orthopedic injuries. That also includes Jewish prisoners. The mortality rate for Japanese camps was close to 25%. The mortality rate flying over Germany in a B17 was many times higher. Soviet prisoners were not treated well at all: they were not signatories to the Geneva convention.

Wiki data: By comparison, 8,348 Western Allied prisoners died in German camps during 1939–45 (3.5% of the 232,000 total).[48

Hmmm. Your going to be popular

[Nisa]

The Israeli embassy said it had received a letter of apology after contacting the the school.

"I think that really it was done out of ignorance, not out of bad intentions," Itzhak Shoham, the Israeli ambassador to Thailand, told AFP.

"Many people here in Asia are not aware of what happened in Europe," he added. "They tend to think that he (Hitler) was a hero and not a monster as he really was so I think it is important to strengthen the educational level."

In a statement on its website, the Simon Wiesenthal Center called for "immediate action against all those responsible for promoting and facilitating this disgraceful display", noting that a similar incident had taken place at another school in Bangkok in 2007.

"It is difficult to calculate the hurt such a display inflicted on survivors of the Nazi Holocaust and the families of all victims of Nazism," it said.

Another opportunity for the wiesenthal center to exploit the Holocaust for their own promotion.

No reasonable person, without other agendas, would be hurt by this incident (saddened but not hurt) if they cared enough to educate themselves about this incident.

On the others side, the Israeli Ambassador appears to have responded reasonably but will see how much influence and traction the wiesenthal center can get from this in the coming days.

Edited September 28, 2011 by Nisa

[SAffer]

This is very strange and is smacks of total ignorance of WWII history and Nazi Germany. Don't these teachers read? If I am not mistaken, this is NOT the first time it has happened in Thailand.

Don't take it so seriously, it's only a fancy dress

Sure, tell that to the allied troops taken prison and executed by people wearing that uniform. Tell it to the thousands of non combatants brutalized by people in those uniforms. Sorry, but many members of my family volunteered for service and did not have happy memories of such uniforms.I have an obligation not to forget their sacrifice so that I could be free today and so that people like you could offer insensitive selfish comments without ending up in a concentration camp.

A Nazi Pow camp was the safest place in the theater to wait out the war. The mortality rate was about 3.5% you would think that many would have died of natural causes. Many downed air crews were taken prisoner with serious orthopedic injuries. That also includes Jewish prisoners. The mortality rate for Japanese camps was close to 25%. The mortality rate flying over Germany in a B17 was many times higher. Soviet prisoners were not treated well at all: they were not signatories to the Geneva convention.

Wiki data: By comparison, 8,348 Western Allied prisoners died in German camps during 1939–45 (3.5% of the 232,000 total).[48

Uhm... did the Nazi's invent concentration camps?

[Thai at Heart]

You cherry pick because you do not wish to look at the issue more broadly. Up to you. Some would say that charity is the worst form of condescension.

No one is compelled to take things given freely. That is the receivers choice.

Are you saying that the kids simply went up there as voyeurs of the hilltribes to learn how bad it is to be poor and oppresed? Even better.

I am only going on what the woman said, and the way she said it shows a hugely condescending attitude as far as I am concerned.

[snorkster]

Genghis Khan was a brutal mass-murderer. One of the worst mass-murderes in history.

He developed the science of war and took it to a new level of scientifically planned brutality where no one had gone previously.

His armies would surround cities and demand they yield, pay tribute, etc. If they refused, they'd viciously slaughter all but a few people, and send those folks on to the surrounding cities to let them know what happens when they refuse to yield. His armies committed heinous acts of mass-murder and violence that enabled him to conquer most of the known world at his time during his lifetime.

Armies in Europe still stuck to primitive customs that assumed war was about more than just scientifically planning how to inflict as much pain, torture, and murder as possible in any given set of circumstances. Armies would do inefficient things like line up across from each other in a field on a predetermined time/date, men on horseback would ride around announcing themselves with flags, the leaders would announce charges, and then they'd pretty much slaughter each other as much as possible. Genghis Khan helped everyone the world around understand that we have to be much more scientific in how we slaughter, torture, and murder each other. He pretty much could be looked upon as a figure of supreme evil, like Hitler.

However, it's easy enough to look up mongolian restaurants with "Genghis khan" referenced in their names. In fact in Japanese, a term for a smorgasbord meat dinner is much derived from his name, "JINGISUKAN".

Anyway, the Thai people weren't part of the European war. Dressing up as Nazis means about as much to them as the pictures or figures of Genghis khan on horseback in full military uniform that can be found in mongolian restaurant mean to the patrons of those restaurants.

Edited September 28, 2011 by snorkster

[Kananga]

Genghis Khan was a brutal mass-murderer. One of the worst mass-murderes in history.

He developed the science of war and took it to a new level of scientifically planned brutality where no one had gone previously.

His armies would surround cities and demand they yield, pay tribute, etc. If they refused, they'd viciously slaughter all but a few people, and send those folks on to the surrounding cities to let them know what happens when they refuse to yield. His armies committed heinous acts of mass-murder and violence that enabled him to conquer most of the known world at his time during his lifetime.

However, it's easy enough to look up mongolian restaurants with "Genghis khan" referenced in their names. In fact in Japanese, a term for a smorgasbord meat dinner is much derived from his name, "JINGISUKAN".

Anyway, the Thai people weren't part of the European war. Dressing up as Nazis means about as much to them as the pictures or figures of Genghis khan on horseback in full military uniform that can be found in mongolian restaurant mean to the patrons of those restaurants.

I'm sure if living survivors of Genghis's war crimes came across a bunch of Thais opening a Mongolian restaurant called the 'Ghenghis Khan Palace' back in the day they would be as equally appalled as the majority of people here.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts as well as a defamatory post and replies to it have been removed.

[kerryk]

Genghis Khan was a brutal mass-murderer. One of the worst mass-murderes in history.

He developed the science of war and took it to a new level of scientifically planned brutality where no one had gone previously.

His armies would surround cities and demand they yield, pay tribute, etc. If they refused, they'd viciously slaughter all but a few people, and send those folks on to the surrounding cities to let them know what happens when they refuse to yield. His armies committed heinous acts of mass-murder and violence that enabled him to conquer most of the known world at his time during his lifetime.

However, it's easy enough to look up mongolian restaurants with "Genghis khan" referenced in their names. In fact in Japanese, a term for a smorgasbord meat dinner is much derived from his name, "JINGISUKAN".

Anyway, the Thai people weren't part of the European war. Dressing up as Nazis means about as much to them as the pictures or figures of Genghis khan on horseback in full military uniform that can be found in mongolian restaurant mean to the patrons of those restaurants.

I'm sure if living survivors of Genghis's war crimes came across a bunch of Thais opening a Mongolian restaurant called the 'Ghenghis Khan Palace' back in the day they would be as equally appalled as the majority of people here.

1 in every 200 men alive today is a direct descendant of Genghis Kahn. I think it is a lot higher than that in Pattaya but I am not finished with my study yet.

[Nisa]

Genghis Khan was a brutal mass-murderer. One of the worst mass-murderes in history.

He developed the science of war and took it to a new level of scientifically planned brutality where no one had gone previously.

His armies would surround cities and demand they yield, pay tribute, etc. If they refused, they'd viciously slaughter all but a few people, and send those folks on to the surrounding cities to let them know what happens when they refuse to yield. His armies committed heinous acts of mass-murder and violence that enabled him to conquer most of the known world at his time during his lifetime.

However, it's easy enough to look up mongolian restaurants with "Genghis khan" referenced in their names. In fact in Japanese, a term for a smorgasbord meat dinner is much derived from his name, "JINGISUKAN".

Anyway, the Thai people weren't part of the European war. Dressing up as Nazis means about as much to them as the pictures or figures of Genghis khan on horseback in full military uniform that can be found in mongolian restaurant mean to the patrons of those restaurants.

I'm sure if living survivors of Genghis's war crimes came across a bunch of Thais opening a Mongolian restaurant called the 'Ghenghis Khan Palace' back in the day they would be as equally appalled as the majority of people here.

Are you implying there were Holocaust survivors at the school at the school or that the people up in arms on this thread are survivors? There are many Ghenghis Khan named eateries all across the globe. WWII was 3 Generations ago so it is not really current day.

[Kananga]

Genghis Khan was a brutal mass-murderer. One of the worst mass-murderes in history.

He developed the science of war and took it to a new level of scientifically planned brutality where no one had gone previously.

His armies would surround cities and demand they yield, pay tribute, etc. If they refused, they'd viciously slaughter all but a few people, and send those folks on to the surrounding cities to let them know what happens when they refuse to yield. His armies committed heinous acts of mass-murder and violence that enabled him to conquer most of the known world at his time during his lifetime.

However, it's easy enough to look up mongolian restaurants with "Genghis khan" referenced in their names. In fact in Japanese, a term for a smorgasbord meat dinner is much derived from his name, "JINGISUKAN".

Anyway, the Thai people weren't part of the European war. Dressing up as Nazis means about as much to them as the pictures or figures of Genghis khan on horseback in full military uniform that can be found in mongolian restaurant mean to the patrons of those restaurants.

I'm sure if living survivors of Genghis's war crimes came across a bunch of Thais opening a Mongolian restaurant called the 'Ghenghis Khan Palace' back in the day they would be as equally appalled as the majority of people here.

Are you implying there were Holocaust survivors at the school at the school or that the people up in arms on this thread are survivors? There are many Ghenghis Khan named eateries all across the globe. WWII was 3 Generations ago so it is not really current day.

You know exactly what I was implying. Trying to twist it into meaning something else only goes to show you're either flailing around with a pretty poor argument, or that you are one stroke short of a tuk tuk.

I'll spell it out for you. The second world war happened in many current alive and kicking people's life time. There are survivors of his atrocities alive today. Many of the people using this forum were alive during this time, or have living relatives who were who can talk first hand of the atrocities that took place.

Ghenghis Khan on the otherhand died 784 years ago. Perhaps in another 784 years there will be German and Austrian restaurants bearing Hitler's name and the Thais will still be prancing around in the fancy dress of the future despots and morons will be saying "whats the problem? there are Hitler restaurants all over the place".

[Payboy]

[

For Sister Darunee Sripramong, head of the Sacred Heart School in Chiang Mai, because in Thai society minorities are marginalised and treated with condescension, “each year we have our students take part in outdoor immersion programmes. As part of this, they spend a night up in one of 10 to 20 hill villages. They bring their books and material but they also learn from the hill tribes; for instance, the way they cook rice and enjoy life.”

So, Eva Braun didn't actually escape to another planet in a bell shaped spacecraft.

[howzat]

Most Thais have no knowledge of anything outside a 5 km radius of where they live so what do you expect.

[Willeyeam]

The swastika is a religious symbol, from India copied by the nazi's. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika Together with lack of historical knowledge this probably led to the students not being aware of what they were doing.

I once borrowed "Shindlers List" to a headmaster. He was schocked and showed the movie to his students, so i gave the DVD to him and he wanted to see more movies about the holocast.

Maybe someone can send a DVD to this school.

Indeed, the Swastika pre dates Nazi Germany by quite some time and was once a "good luck" symbol. As for "Schindlers List", that is not history, it is a pile of Bullshit concocted by Spielberg, as much a fairy tale as Little Red Riding Hood - so why try and complicate their perception of history with Hollywood drivel? Mrs. Schindler wants some compensation! http://www.fpp.co.uk/online/99/05/MrsSchindler.html

Again, what on earth has European history got to do with the Thais? It happened 70 years ago half way around the world, and a lot of it is pretty dubious at the best of times. The Schools would do better to teach the kids that Thailand effectively surrendered within a few hours to the Japanese invasion during the second world war, and were going to be tried by Britain for war crimes, had they not been appeased by the Americans and lots of free rice! Where for instance was the Burma Railroad? Kanchanaburi!!!

Let's teach a bit of the truth instead of propaganda produced by people like Spielberg with his ultereior motives and the usual Hollywood crap.

Do you people get offended if kids dress up as Vikings? They raped and pillaged Europe for years, murdering and destroying. Do you have the same "feelings of outrage" at these people that dress up and re-enact battles long since gone? Grow up a bit.

Maybe next year the kids can all dress up in Soviet style regalia, and we can all have a bit of outrage at Stalin, Trotsky, Lenin and the rest of the Communists that murdered infinately more than the Nazis were ever even accused of. Maybe a Pol Pot Party, or a Kim Il Jong barbeque, or a good old Indian Raj Day, dressed as Brits in the colonial Indian times, thrashing and murdering people closer to home....would that be a little more pallatable?

Edited September 28, 2011 by Willeyeam

[Beetlejuice]

from Sacred Heart School of Chiang Mai via Email

REF: Deeply Apologies

To whom this may concern,

On 23 September 2011, at Sacred Heart School of Chiang Mai has organized a sport day activity and it has been divided into groups of 7 different colors and amongst its various colors, there was the "Red" color group which was dressed up imitating some Nazi symbols. The purpose and motivation was to provide a sense of participation in much closer knowledge of being together for this particular "Red" color group. In fact, the main reason and desire behind of imitating some of these symbols was not to create any differences of damaging each individual image and identity.

We, the entire Sacred Heart School personal are deeply saddened by this incident which has caused much undesirable inconvenience. And we wish to extent our sincerity and our deepest regret towards all those who have provided us the utmost knowledge and are more aware of getting our teachers, staffs and students in fulfilling and realizing in the most respectful and civilize behavior in this society. We will be take more serious approach and provided more positive behavior for not creating any sure event in our school compound in anytime, anywhere.

We deeply and sincere apologies.

Yours respectfully,

Sr. Darunee Sripramong

Director of Sacred Heart School

Geeez! If that's the best English they can provide that is just as distressing ..

But gives an interesting insight into why English usage is so bad in Thailand, if this is what is coming out of a school director imagine what is being taught...

But is this really from the director?

Probably typed out by one of the 18 year old Thai students.

[Kananga]

Geeez! If that's the best English they can provide that is just as distressing ..

But gives an interesting insight into why English usage is so bad in Thailand, if this is what is coming out of a school director imagine what is being taught...

But is this really from the director?

Probably typed out by one of the 18 year old Thai students.

When the country's PM sounds like she could to blurt out "Helllo Welllcaaaaam" at any time, anything is possible.

[wintermute]

When the country's PM sounds like she could to blurt out "Helllo Welllcaaaaam" at any time, anything is possible.

You hansum man, welcum thailan. welcum my get hous not same same, it different! No khon dam dam allow, hansum farang OK. You like footbon?My country like footbon too.Thailan numbah one.

Edited September 28, 2011 by wintermute

[rogerdee123]

Well the PM can proclaim Thailand as ...... the SE Asian hub of students parading around like Nazis !

[Nisa]

from Sacred Heart School of Chiang Mai via Email

REF: Deeply Apologies

To whom this may concern,

On 23 September 2011, at Sacred Heart School of Chiang Mai has organized a sport day activity and it has been divided into groups of 7 different colors and amongst its various colors, there was the "Red" color group which was dressed up imitating some Nazi symbols. The purpose and motivation was to provide a sense of participation in much closer knowledge of being together for this particular "Red" color group. In fact, the main reason and desire behind of imitating some of these symbols was not to create any differences of damaging each individual image and identity.

We, the entire Sacred Heart School personal are deeply saddened by this incident which has caused much undesirable inconvenience. And we wish to extent our sincerity and our deepest regret towards all those who have provided us the utmost knowledge and are more aware of getting our teachers, staffs and students in fulfilling and realizing in the most respectful and civilize behavior in this society. We will be take more serious approach and provided more positive behavior for not creating any sure event in our school compound in anytime, anywhere.

We deeply and sincere apologies.

Yours respectfully,

Sr. Darunee Sripramong

Director of Sacred Heart School

Geeez! If that's the best English they can provide that is just as distressing ..

But gives an interesting insight into why English usage is so bad in Thailand, if this is what is coming out of a school director imagine what is being taught...

Or just maybe it could be that English is not the language of Thailand or of the language of school in question or that the Sister/Director is Thai and not an English teacher and English is just one of the subjects offered at the school.

Not to mention that English is not even considered the second official language of Thailand.

[Kananga]

Just to quote 2 of Thai visas rules:

7) Not to post slurs or degrading comments directed towards any group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

8) Not to post extremely negative views of Thailand or derogatory comments directed towards all Thais.

Yet, on this thread these rules must have been contravened, well, I’ve lost count.

Not wishing to infringe rule: 21, I would like to know why the Mods continue to let this farce continue?

I'm sorry, but the Mods are not responsible for the school fancy dress uniforms.

[wintermute]

Or just maybe it could be that English is not the language of Thailand or of the language of school in question or that the Sister/Director is Thai and not an English teacher and English is just one of the subjects offered at the school.

Not to mention that English is not even considered the second official language of Thailand.

If a professional organization does not have at least one fluent english speaker on retainer or in the staff to represent them then they are in pretty sorry shape or just plain don't give a dam_n which means they are actually "unprofessional." It's not like English is some obscure language. We're not asking them to send out apologies in Swahili with little clicks and hopping feet to communicate their intent. We're just wondering why they can't even type up a reasonably written public statement that doesn't look like it came from a 6th grader. This is the year 2011.

[kerryk]

Or just maybe it could be that English is not the language of Thailand or of the language of school in question or that the Sister/Director is Thai and not an English teacher and English is just one of the subjects offered at the school.

Not to mention that English is not even considered the second official language of Thailand.

Road signs are in what two languages? Government offices are identified by signs in what two languages?

What is the official second language of Thailand?

The head nun at an international Catholic school should speak at least what three languages?

[Kananga]

Or just maybe it could be that English is not the language of Thailand or of the language of school in question or that the Sister/Director is Thai and not an English teacher and English is just one of the subjects offered at the school.

Not to mention that English is not even considered the second official language of Thailand.

Road signs are in what two languages? Government offices are identified by signs in what two languages?

What is the official second language of Thailand?

The head nun at an international Catholic school should speak at least what three languages?

What's latin for raving apologist?

[snoother]

FWIW, I asked my gf if she knew Hitler and what he did. She said of course, he killed many jews. She told me she learned about WWI, WWII, holaucost, the pacific war, russian front, etc. at her high school in Korat.

When I showed her the pictures of the school costume party she told me "they are quite stupid in this school".

[playfulxx]

It's interesting to note that Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, attended a private Fancy Dress Party wearing Nazi uniform not too long ago. However, his actions show that ignorance and insensitivity can occur at a much higher level than a Catholic school in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

[WarpSpeed]

Or just maybe it could be that English is not the language of Thailand or of the language of school in question or that the Sister/Director is Thai and not an English teacher and English is just one of the subjects offered at the school.

Not to mention that English is not even considered the second official language of Thailand.

If a professional organization does not have at least one fluent english speaker on retainer or in the staff to represent them then they are in pretty sorry shape or just plain don't give a dam_n which means they are actually "unprofessional." It's not like English is some obscure language. We're not asking them to send out apologies in Swahili with little clicks and hopping feet to communicate their intent. We're just wondering why they can't even type up a reasonably written public statement that doesn't look like it came from a 6th grader. This is the year 2011.

Add to that, a professional 'EDUCATIONAL' organization.. Including I believe a large contingent of International students as well.

Edited September 28, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[Rachawadee]

FWIW, I asked my gf if she knew Hitler and what he did. She said of course, he killed many jews. She told me she learned about WWI, WWII, holaucost, the pacific war, russian front, etc. at her high school in Korat.

When I showed her the pictures of the school costume party she told me "they are quite stupid in this school".

I agree. More for the teachers who didn't know what the fuss was all about.

I am glad my father put me up to reading world history.