Thailand weighs suit against Singaporean organizers of ‘SONGKRAN’

[CroBiker]

In other news, Finland, home of Santa Claus sued Thailand for celebrating Christmas

[Fullstop]

I think the appropriate action for the Singaporean organisers is to extend their middle finger to TAT and enjoy their party.

[surangw]

I think the appropriate action for the Singaporean organisers is to extend their middle finger to TAT and enjoy their party.

wave a full hand at them, that way they get the finger with 4 spares

[Donnie Brasco]

There are Thai people staying in Singapore. They can have a feel of celebrating their Songkran. So what's the big deal?

But of course the Songkran in Thailand will be much fun than in Singapore.

Exclusive of the, uh. "Thai people" that are, um, (shall we say ?) based in Orchard Towers, the Thai people who actually LIVE in Singapore could not care less about Songkran.

Songkran in its PRESENT DAY STATE is a three to five day period of catharsis during which Thailand's slave class and those who consort with them are permitted to blow off their rage at being at the BOTTOM of the ladder.

The old tradition of elder respect and reverence gave way to its present day vulgarization years ago.

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[getthaid]

There are differing opinions on this forum as to whether this is just a frivolous lawsuit if it has merit.

Neither of those is the real nub of the situation.

What I find pathetic in the situation is that the go to response of most Thai officials and ministers is to jump up and down, talk without thinking and threaten a lawsuit without first considering the legality if the case, the merits of the case, how it reflects on thailand both domestically and internationally, the possible outcomes or even what the desired end result would be. They make 4-5 headlines and then never take any action on a further.

Thailand. The hub of frivolous lawsuits that never get filed

The only thing that is even more pathetic is that after they have made fools out of themselves the media never calls them to account. In any other country with reasonable libel laws that headline would be followed up by, this is the same minister who last year threatened to sue Germany because they had copied a tuk tuk. His was also the minister who promised XYZ and ABC.

Thailand. The home of media that the Soviet union wishes they had at the height of censorship.

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Edited March 20, 2014 by getthaid

[bigbamboo]

There are Thai people staying in Singapore. They can have a feel of celebrating their Songkran. So what's the big deal?

But of course the Songkran in Thailand will be much fun than in Singapore.

Exclusive of the, uh. "Thai people" that are, um, (shall we say ?) based in Orchard Towers, the Thai people who actually LIVE in Singapore could not care less about Songkran.

Songkran in its PRESENT DAY STATE is a three to five day period of catharsis during which Thailand's slave class and those who consort with them are permitted to blow off their rage at being at the BOTTOM of the ladder.

The old tradition of elder respect and reverence gave way to its present day vulgarization years ago.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Anyone who has ever taken part in the Songkran mayhem will testify how a Thai kid's eyes light up when they see a 'farang' target!

And to be honest who can blame them.

[Tywais]

Songkran

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Songkran is a term derived from the Sanskrit saṅkrānti (or, more specifically, meṣa saṅkrānti). It may refer to the traditional New Year celebrated in Thailand and several Southeast Asian countries when the sun transits the constellation of Aries, the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, as reckoned by sidereal astrology:

• Cambodian New Year
• Songkran (Lao)
• Sinhalese New Year, in Sri Lanka
• Songkran (Thailand)
• Thingyan, in Myanmar

The point is really that by using the word 'Songkran', Singapore is debasing another country's religious festival with a frivolous event. They are disassociating it from its traditional meaning.

Not unlike Christmas but doubt that can be trademarked either.

[Donnie Brasco]

There are Thai people staying in Singapore. They can have a feel of celebrating their Songkran. So what's the big deal?

But of course the Songkran in Thailand will be much fun than in Singapore.

Exclusive of the, uh. "Thai people" that are, um, (shall we say ?) based in Orchard Towers, the Thai people who actually LIVE in Singapore could not care less about Songkran.

Songkran in its PRESENT DAY STATE is a three to five day period of catharsis during which Thailand's slave class and those who consort with them are permitted to blow off their rage at being at the BOTTOM of the ladder.

The old tradition of elder respect and reverence gave way to its present day vulgarization years ago.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Anyone who has ever taken part in the Songkran mayhem will testify how a Thai kid's eyes light up when they see a 'farang' target!

And to be honest who can blame them.

This is true in certain families in retain villages in Songkran's current culturally corrupted form.

I have been "waied" by children and had scented water sprinkled on me and asked for my blessing more times than I have been sloshed with water.

And this has been in Bangkok as well as in villages.

Anyway, just as they didn't invent som tam or Loi Kratong, Bangkok Thais did not invent nor can they patent or copyright Songkran.

And if these TAT ninnies keep this nonsense up they will only encourage ridicule.

I feel another one of those "hub" thingies coming on ;-)

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[kimbathewhitelion]

About as hilarious as an Apple iPad. If only they have Steve Jobs target practice sheets. Utter crap.

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[Siripon]

Thailand should simply smile at this one, Singapore has so little to offer tourists, let them copy. Is it true they're going to charge entry too? 55555

[rebelplatoon]

Nothing to be afraid about. Singapore is too up tight for a party like that. Imagine un suspecting office workers or a by standing police man getting hosed down. Right now the only thing similar would be the SMOG.

[rjcampbe]

The point is really that by using the word 'Songkran', Singapore is debasing another country's religious festival with a frivolous event. They are disassociating it from its traditional meaning. Thanks to your research I learn that Laos uses the same word (no surprise), as well as some ethnic minorities in China. They should be equally miffed at what Singapore is doing.

Thais (& Lao etc) understand the deeper meaning of Songkran; that underlies all the partying. Tourists in Singapore won't understand. To them it's just a game. Hence Singapore shouldn't use the word Songkran to describe it, out of deference. As somebody said, it is tantamount to the Disneyfication of someone else's tradition.

And apart from that, they are attracting tourist revenue using the lure of another culture's culture. That's crass.

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What CRAP!

Do Thai's understand the religions significance of Christmas? No.

As an example, a friend of mine swears that he was talking to his Thai GF about Christmas and he asked her if she knew what Christmas was supposed to celebrate. She said, "Yes... of course... It's the anniversary of the day Santa Claus died!"

I don't know if that anecdote is true or not, but I suspect that the overwhelming majority of Thais couldn't give any better answer. I would be surprised if even 1% of the Thai's you asked in the mall at Christmas would mention the birth of Jesus Christ, but that doesn't stop them from "celebrating" the secular image of Christmas, buying presents, getting them wrapped, and wearing stupid reindeer antlers on their heads.

Are they "debasing another countries religious festival with a frivolous event" when they put up Christmas trees and snowmen at the malls in order to generate sales? I would say no, at least no more than other countries who DO understand the religious significance of Christmas but act the same way... or worse... like the US where we have to have "Holiday Parties" instead of "Christmas Parties" and we only allow school kids to sing about Rudolf and Frosty, but not about Joy to the World, Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard on High, or the Little Town of Bethlehem, out of an irrational politically correct fear of offending people from other religions.

The real irony here, that makes this so pathetically ridiculous, is that Thais themselves have allowed their own Songkran religious tradition to be secularized and marginalized.... and now they want to act as if their culture is being attacked...

It reminds me of the mental midgets at the ministry of culture making a big deal about girls dancing topless at a recent Songkran saying the girls damaged Thailand's reputation in the world, while the whole thing happened a block away from one of the most notorious red light districts in the world...

Truly pathetic, but such a CLASSIC example of Thainess.