UK 'raises concern' over bikini remarks by Thai PM

[webfact]

UK 'raises concern' over bikini remarks by Thai PM

BANGKOK, September 18, 2014 (AFP) - Britain Thursday raised concerns after Thailand's junta leader suggested tourists in bikinis could be more vulnerable to attack, as DNA tests failed to yield a breakthrough in the hunt for the killers of two British holidaymakers.

The battered bodies of David Miller, 24 and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found on the southern resort island of Koh Tao on Monday.

Distraught relatives of Witheridge broke down in tears and hugged each other ahead of a police briefing in Bangkok on Thursday, as the investigation continued to draw a blank.

Thailand's military ruler Prayut Chan-O-Cha on Wednesday drew condemnation after questioning the safety of female tourists in the kingdom.

"They think our country is beautiful and is safe so they can do whatever they want, they can wear bikinis and walk everywhere," Prayut -- who is also prime minister -- told government officials.

But "can they be safe in bikinis... unless they are not beautiful?"

The British embassy in Bangkok said it had contacted the Thai foreign ministry raising its "concerns" over his remarks and to ask "for clarification", according to an embassy statement.

Prayut's off-the-cuff comments echoed others made to reporters on Tuesday questioning the behaviour of the murdered Britons as well as the perpetrators.

- No DNA matches -

Thailand's image as a tourist haven, already tarnished by months of political protests that ended in May's army coup, has been further damaged by the murder of the Britons.

On Thursday, police continued to hunt for clues on the small, normally laid-back diving island of Koh Tao as post-mortem examinations of the victims' bodies in Bangkok did not find any DNA links to 12 people they have questioned so far.

Those include two of Miller's British friends who were asked to stay in Bangkok pending the forensic results -- and several Myanmar migrant workers.

The British men were now "free to return home," regional police commander Panya Maman told AFP.

Experts tested traces of semen and a hair found at the crime scene but could not find a match.

With no arrests and an apparent lack of new leads, it is unclear where the police investigation can turn after nearly four days scouring sparsely populated Koh Tao.

Thailand's key high season for tourists is just two months away and the kingdom is desperate to reassure visitors after a year which saw takings slump because of political turmoil.

The governor of Surat Thani province -- which covers Koh Tao -- said the island would no longer host spin-off parties of the "full moon" beach raves which draw backpacking hordes to neighbouring Koh Phangan.

"We don't want any more crimes," governor Chatpong Chatraphuti told AFP, adding hotels and resorts would have to install new security cameras and lighting.

The junta has vowed to restore Thailand's reputation as the "Land of Smiles", embarking on a clean-up of resorts after a series of complaints about scams, assaults and even police extortion.

The army imposed martial law in the days before the coup and then a nationwide curfew afterwards -- which it quickly lifted from the kingdom's main tourists areas.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-09-18

[Soutpeel]

well good for them, the comments, if quoted correctly were made in bad taste and are very insentitive to say the least.

[Time Traveller]

The story edited out his comment admitting that "there always was a problem with tourist safety in Thailand". That's the key point people need to understand. But more than that, it seems like the government just accept that and have no plan to improve safety.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Time Traveller

[Thai at Heart]

The story edited out his comment admitting that "there always was a problem with tourist safety in Thailand". That's the key point people need to understand. But more than that, it seems like the government just accept that and have no plan to improve safety.

Hardly likely. Apparently this island is run by 3 families who have the police in their pocket. There are many places in Thailand which are basically self policing with no preventative effort at all. His statements were completely out of touch with the situation.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Thai at Heart

[ratcatcher]

"For example, it say Prayuth came to be PM from coup. Not true. Prayuth was elected by >97% of the voters."

Thai wit to woo.

[Kularion]

The Daily Mail website should permanently be block to safe guard all innocent Thais.

Yeah !!! Exactly like from George Orwell.. Let's block all media which can have any critical opinion about LOS and Innocent Thais... "innocent" ??? I mean... seriously ???

[Fred Flinstone]

Seems we can watch tourist numbers fall further .

Our travel agent said she had 27 people change plans since the murders took place.

Thailand is really going to feel the pinch soon

[Nickymaster]

The Daily Mail website should permanently be block to safe guard all innocent Thais.

I am not sure if they have been paid by Thaksin or what, but lately have been publishing a lot of negative things about Thailand, and some info is not exactly true. For example, it say Prayuth came to be PM from coup. Not true. Prayuth was elected by >97% of the voters.

Yesterday, Daily Mail has gone non-stop bad mouth Prayuth about his comment to alert women not to expose themselves too much. That is a very good fatherly advise. Nothing is wrong with that.

Absolute Bollacks

He does have some valid points.

[Kularion]

"...Two of Miller's British friends [...] and several Myanmar migrant workers..." ??? So I have to understand that Thai Police don't even take under consideration possibility that this crime has been done by some Thai citizen criminal ???

[Nickymaster]

Seems we can watch tourist numbers fall further .

Our travel agent said she had 27 people change plans since the murders took place.

Thailand is really going to feel the pinch soon

I think that is merely wishful thinking. This terrible incident is not going to destroy Thailand's tourism industry.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Nickymaster

[rkidlad]

The Daily Mail website should permanently be block to safe guard all innocent Thais.

I am not sure if they have been paid by Thaksin or what, but lately have been publishing a lot of negative things about Thailand, and some info is not exactly true. For example, it say Prayuth came to be PM from coup. Not true. Prayuth was elected by >97% of the voters.

Yesterday, Daily Mail has gone non-stop bad mouth Prayuth about his comment to alert women not to expose themselves too much. That is a very good fatherly advise. Nothing is wrong with that.

Absolute Bollacks

He does have some valid points.

Points as in plural? It's 'absolute bollacks' is only one valid point.

[Nickymaster]

The Daily Mail website should permanently be block to safe guard all innocent Thais.

I am not sure if they have been paid by Thaksin or what, but lately have been publishing a lot of negative things about Thailand, and some info is not exactly true. For example, it say Prayuth came to be PM from coup. Not true. Prayuth was elected by >97% of the voters.

Yesterday, Daily Mail has gone non-stop bad mouth Prayuth about his comment to alert women not to expose themselves too much. That is a very good fatherly advise. Nothing is wrong with that.

Absolute Bollacks

He does have some valid points.

Points as in plural? It's 'absolute bollacks' is only one valid point.

If you say soo

[lildragon]

Chattee is satire ladies and gents. Good at it too!

[HeijoshinCool]

Mom and Dad:

My heartfelt condolences for your loss, but you should return home and mourn there.

The police here are incompetent at best, corrupt at worst. They have no interest in finding the people that took your loved one, they only want to exonerate Thailand. Please don't torture yourselves further by entreating them to find your child's killer. They simply don't care.

Go home to familiar surroundings, family and friends.

[Fred Flinstone]

Seems we can watch tourist numbers fall further .

Our travel agent said she had 27 people change plans since the murders took place.

Thailand is really going to feel the pinch soon

I think that is merely wishful thinking. This terrible incident is not going to destroy Thailand's tourism industry.

I didn't say destroy -

Its not wishful Thinking -

Its tourists thinking !

And what ""i did say"' is they will feel the pinch.

Thats not an unreasonable observation -

Its based on reaction to this -

Reaction to the Pm's comments

Reaction to the whole Gun ho Take over-

And people like the UK embassy having to ask for clarification from the Thais on comments.

Social media is awash with people saying "'not Thailand this year"

All indicators are that some down swing will be certainly felt -

And especially if the Killers are not caught.

[pinkpanther99]

I actually think the PM's comments may say more about what he thinks about some Thai men than it does about foreign female tourists wearing bikinis.

Is he saying that Thai men can't be trusted around young attractive western girls in bikinis and therefore, these girls are not safe wearing such attire on the beach in Thailand?

Edited September 18, 2014 by pinkpanther99

[Dag Ekeberg]

I think it has been interesting to watch the General speaking seemingly without manuscript. Everybody can make mistakes in those circumstances. It would not be good for anyone to force the weekly adresses to be strictly manuscript (read: boring)

[Asiantravel]

Seems we can watch tourist numbers fall further .

Our travel agent said she had 27 people change plans since the murders took place.

Thailand is really going to feel the pinch soon

I think that is merely wishful thinking. This terrible incident is not going to destroy Thailand's tourism industry.

Destroyed or seriously damaged is just semantics. Based on what Jonathan Head on the BBC just reported it doesn't sound very hopeful that this crime will be solved . Then we still have the unsolved murder of Kirsty Jones in Chiang Mai. . How many unsolved murders of tourist backpackers can a country with stand before it suffers a serious dent to its reputation?

[arthurwait]

Maybe insensitive but he has a point. There is no bikinis or even swimming suits worn by locals at local beaches and only a few westernized thais wear them at tourist places and then much bigger than western bikinis. Unfortunately.

The only thais you will see wearing western bikinis are pros looking for a custumer or already with one.

Told this years ago by the wife saying girls in bikinis are putting themselves in danger. Most loso thai men have little respect for women and just see women as meat.

The shorts under skirts are worn for a reason.

[wellred]

So basically if a Thai lady is walking around wearing skimpy shorts and a revealing top is it fair game to sexually assault her? Absolute rubbish.

What worries me most is not the comments from the PM, but the fact that every day Thai's actually think that's right and can't see this situation for what it is. Are they incapable of being assess the situation or just thick?

[Eliot Rosewater]

I actually think the PM's comments may say more about what he thinks about some Thai men than it does about foreign female tourists wearing bikinis.

Is he saying that Thai men can't be trusted around young attractive western girls in bikinis and therefore, these girls are not safe wearing such attire on the beach in Thailand?

But people come here for the beaches; so maybe he should tell them not to come here at all

[harrycallahan]

Well it is consistent with Lonely Planet's advice, dress conservatively so as not to offend the locals. Only goes one way of course; western countries are expected to be tolerant of visitor's cultural differences.

[MJP]

Seems we can watch tourist numbers fall further .

Our travel agent said she had 27 people change plans since the murders took place.

Thailand is really going to feel the pinch soon

I think that is merely wishful thinking. This terrible incident is not going to destroy Thailand's tourism industry.

Destroyed or seriously damaged is just semantics. Based on what Jonathan Head on the BBC just reported it doesn't sound very hopeful that this crime will be solved . Then we still have the unsolved murder of Kirsty Jones in Chiang Mai. . How many unsolved murders of tourist backpackers can a country with stand before it suffers a serious dent to its reputation?

In the village and Roi-Et I feel at home, in fact no where else in the World do I feel more at peace with myself and the World. But tourist Thailand? No chance.

[simon43]

There is only one reason why foreign tourists in bikinis are tolerated on Thai beaches, and that is because of the $$$ earned from these tourists.

Most Thai people are conservative in outlook and frown upon the wearing of such clothing. Remember that most Thais are Buddhist, with a large Muslim minority (majority in the south).

Don't think for one minute that you would be welcome on the beaches of Thailand in your bikini if it were not for your money.

[kblaze]

Maybe insensitive but he has a point. There is no bikinis or even swimming suits worn by locals at local beaches and only a few westernized thais wear them at tourist places and then much bigger than western bikinis. Unfortunately.

The only thais you will see wearing western bikinis are pros looking for a custumer or already with one.

Told this years ago by the wife saying girls in bikinis are putting themselves in danger. Most loso thai men have little respect for women and just see women as meat.

The shorts under skirts are worn for a reason.

That's still backwards-thinking. Doesn't matter if it comes from your wife. Its sexism against men in that it implies they can't control themselves.

[thailiketoo]

There is only one reason why foreign tourists in bikinis are tolerated on Thai beaches, and that is because of the $$$ earned from these tourists.

Most Thai people are conservative in outlook and frown upon the wearing of such clothing. Remember that most Thais are Buddhist, with a large Muslim minority (majority in the south).

Don't think for one minute that you would be welcome on the beaches of Thailand in your bikini if it were not for your money.

94.6% of Thais are Buddhist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Thailand

Topless was a legal dress in Thailand until 1941.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_cultural_mandates

Someone should remind them of their cultural tradition.

Edited September 18, 2014 by thailiketoo

[pinkpanther99]

The Daily Mail website should permanently be block to safe guard all innocent Thais.

I am not sure if they have been paid by Thaksin or what, but lately have been publishing a lot of negative things about Thailand, and some info is not exactly true. For example, it say Prayuth came to be PM from coup. Not true. Prayuth was elected by >97% of the voters.

Yesterday, Daily Mail has gone non-stop bad mouth Prayuth about his comment to alert women not to expose themselves too much. That is a very good fatherly advise. Nothing is wrong with that.

The Daily Mail has been blocked in Thailand for many weeks. Probably why they are "reacting".

Six of one and half a dozen of the other!

The website might be blocked but the mobile app isn't. Apparently. That's what some guy told me anyway.

[citizen33]

irony.jpeg

If chotthee is Thai, he's doing the irony very well.

Deep cover perhaps? In which case - keep up the good work agent Chotthee!

Incidentally, last time I tried to follow a football link to Sportmail, the Daily Mail website was still blocked (I think because of its tasteless story about the poodle's birthday party). Given the Daily Heil's editorial policy in the 1930s, I find the fact that it has been penalised more than the other UK newspapers to be one of life's little ironies.

[catweazle]

So that means from now on everyone should wear a burka even on the beach or what? What an utterly stupid and unsensitive remark - shows clearly that someone here things he stands above all things and can babble whatever insulting nonsense he comes up with in front of international media and perhaps even expects to praise for this...

Edited September 18, 2014 by catweazle

[webfact]

Deputy govt spokesman says PM sorry over 'bikini quote'

BANGKOK: -- Deputy government Spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was sorry after learning that his comment over the murder of British tourists caused a furore.

Sansern said Prayuth was also sorry that part of his statement was selectively played up without taking his intention into account.

Sansern said Prayuth had good intention to protect tourists and wanted to see all sides cooperate to increase security for foreigners.


-- The Nation 2014-09-18