Toyota Logo Removed from Building Under Buddhist Pressure

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Toyota Logo Removed from Building Under Buddhist Pressure

By Teeranai Charuvastra

Staff Reporter

The Toyota logo on a building in a cemetery in Lopburi province. Some Buddhists mistook it to be in a famous temple in Kanchanburi province.

LOPBURI — A Toyota logo at a cemetery in Lopburi province will be removed after it outraged a number of Buddhists online who thought it was affixed to a famous temple in Kanchanaburi province.

As it later turned out, the offending logo was not on Kanchanaburi’s Wat Wang Wiwekaram, as alleged in a viral post, but in fact some 400 kilometers away in Lopburi at a cemetery in the compound of Wat Takra Thong.

Toyota Motors Thailand today said it would remove the logo to defuse the outrage expressed by some Buddhists on social media, explaining it was placed on the building because it overlooks the tombs of a family with a historical connection to Toyota.

“It is located at the edge of the temple compound, which was not an area used by monks for religious services,” the statement said. Toyota said the family buried in view of the logo had once founded a local distribution company for the Japanese automaker.

Efforts to chip away the logo were already underway when a reporter visited the temple this afternoon.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1446636319

-- Khaosod English 2015-11-04

[rkidlad]

Ha ha! The irony of this.

Keep building your temples made of gold.

[jaltsc]

They probably have a contract that stipulates that the word can only be spread from the backseat of a Mercedes.

[saakura]

Certainly in poor taste for a company like Toyota to use a graveyard or temple to advertise their sponsorship. They could have restricted it to the family tombstone.

[phycokiller]

I see the temple in pattaya tai has a mike logo on it. maybe he paid for it but it does seem a bit tasteless to advertise on a crematorium

[Artisi]

Certainly in poor taste for a company like Toyota to use a graveyard or temple to advertise their sponsorship. They could have restricted it to the family tombstone.

Did you actually read the article,

" ........... because it overlooks the tombs of a family with a historical connection to Toyota."

[saakura]

Certainly in poor taste for a company like Toyota to use a graveyard or temple to advertise their sponsorship. They could have restricted it to the family tombstone.

Did you actually read the article,

" ........... because it overlooks the tombs of a family with a historical connection to Toyota."

Yes i did read the article and saw the photograph too. Graveyards here have a temple where people offer prayers after cleaning and offering food at the tombstone. This temple is common and irrelevant that it overlooks the tomb of the family with a connection to Toyota. It is cheap publicity and Toyota having realised that it is in poor taste, have done the right thing promptly.

[Thian]

LAst few days there's a lot of fuzz about buddhism.

When i look at the roads where they are too lazy to follow any trafficrules i can't believe they are buddhist.

When i go to a market i have to duck all the time to protect my eyeballs for the pins sticking out, have to jump over electric cables who lay in water, have to watch out for old lady's with umbrella's who can stick my eyeballs out.......

Then the lottery-vendors block the exit with their bicycles, motocy taxi's drive over the pavement and even horn to me to jump aside. Even in our moobaan the hi-so thai now drive skelters over the walkingpaths in the parks and ring a bell when they approach pedestrians.....

I guess i'll never understand buddhism.

[cyberfarang]

It`s OK to have students marching dressed in Nazi uniforms, Hitler posters and art, tee shirts and Hitler themed restaurants, but anything considered disrespectful in anyway to Thai culture is a no, no. I know my place.

[Briggsy]

LAst few days there's a lot of fuzz about buddhism.

When i look at the roads where they are too lazy to follow any trafficrules i can't believe they are buddhist.

When i go to a market i have to duck all the time to protect my eyeballs for the pins sticking out, have to jump over electric cables who lay in water, have to watch out for old lady's with umbrella's who can stick my eyeballs out.......

Then the lottery-vendors block the exit with their bicycles, motocy taxi's drive over the pavement and even horn to me to jump aside. Even in our moobaan the hi-so thai now drive skelters over the walkingpaths in the parks and ring a bell when they approach pedestrians.....

I guess i'll never understand buddhism.

Political activism from media-savvy right-leaning monks and demands made "in the name of Buddhism" always surface in Thailand during fraught political times. Power struggles for the control of the nation and its resources are being played out at the moment. Expect more of the same.

There's nothing like an external threat to [use as a cover to] suppress internal fighting.

[DogNo1]

What's a mike logo?

[tbthailand]

more religious extremists... even when they're wrong, they're right.

who let the dogs out?

[Torrens54]

Could just see one going up in Flashing Lights over St Peter's in Rome !

[Torrens54]

What's a mike logo?

Do you mean a "Mic" as in Microphone Logo?

[flyDelight]

Thai Buddhism™

Approved by Walt Disney

[phycokiller]

What's a mike logo?

he has , or had, shopping malls and hotels in pattaya, a google search will show the logo

but I would guess toyota paid for theirs, I mean, i once drove one but I dont need the logo on my local church

Edited November 4, 2015 by phycokiller

[NongKhaiKid]

LAst few days there's a lot of fuzz about buddhism.

When i look at the roads where they are too lazy to follow any trafficrules i can't believe they are buddhist.

When i go to a market i have to duck all the time to protect my eyeballs for the pins sticking out, have to jump over electric cables who lay in water, have to watch out for old lady's with umbrella's who can stick my eyeballs out.......

Then the lottery-vendors block the exit with their bicycles, motocy taxi's drive over the pavement and even horn to me to jump aside. Even in our moobaan the hi-so thai now drive skelters over the walkingpaths in the parks and ring a bell when they approach pedestrians.....

I guess i'll never understand buddhism.

Political activism from media-savvy right-leaning monks and demands made "in the name of Buddhism" always surface in Thailand during fraught political times. Power struggles for the control of the nation and its resources are being played out at the moment. Expect more of the same.

There's nothing like an external threat to [use as a cover to] suppress internal fighting.

I wonder if they will feel more emboldened than usual as this is the sort of Thainess they PM will approve of ?

[Kasset Tak]

Look at all temple grounds, if there are people who has contributed money for a certain cause like building something or having a painting done then their name and how much they payed is on display. Maybe Toyota or this families company connected to Toyota payed for having that building erected and then just wanted to be recognized for that like the rest of the Thai people?!

[SOTIRIOS]

.......give..give.give.pay...pay..pay......only...

[DrTuner]

I'd like a Tiger Beer logo on my mausoleum, thanks. Just to piss off Samarn.

[Justtaste]

I wonder if they ask for permission before putting it there

[Thian]

Look at all temple grounds, if there are people who has contributed money for a certain cause like building something or having a painting done then their name and how much they payed is on display. Maybe Toyota or this families company connected to Toyota payed for having that building erected and then just wanted to be recognized for that like the rest of the Thai people?!

In the temple where my MIL always goes they made a new floor of those huge very slippery big tiles.

All old lady's complainted about it but nothing was done.

Then my wife bought them a 12 metre anti-slippery mat to walk on, costed 2500 baht.

Now they are happy and can walk safely to the restroom.

She didn't put her name on it but her mum is proud her daughter did it for the community she grew up in.

[Artisi]

Certainly in poor taste for a company like Toyota to use a graveyard or temple to advertise their sponsorship. They could have restricted it to the family tombstone.

Did you actually read the article,

" ........... because it overlooks the tombs of a family with a historical connection to Toyota."

Yes i did read the article and saw the photograph too. Graveyards here have a temple where people offer prayers after cleaning and offering food at the tombstone. This temple is common and irrelevant that it overlooks the tomb of the family with a connection to Toyota. It is cheap publicity and Toyota having realised that it is in poor taste, have done the right thing promptly.

Over the top in more ways than one - firstly before making comment you should check how long has it been there and was it approved and by who - by the look it has seen a far bit of weather so far.

[Tchooptip]

LAst few days there's a lot of fuzz about buddhism.

When i look at the roads where they are too lazy to follow any trafficrules i can't believe they are buddhist.

When i go to a market i have to duck all the time to protect my eyeballs for the pins sticking out, have to jump over electric cables who lay in water, have to watch out for old lady's with umbrella's who can stick my eyeballs out.......

Then the lottery-vendors block the exit with their bicycles, motocy taxi's drive over the pavement and even horn to me to jump aside. Even in our moobaan the hi-so thai now drive skelters over the walkingpaths in the parks and ring a bell when they approach pedestrians.....

I guess i'll never understand buddhism.

I guess i'll never understand buddhism.

It has nothing to do with Buddhism but with human nature...

[tuanku]

From the content of this post I would guess you are right about never understanding Bhuddism

LAst few days there's a lot of fuzz about buddhism.

When i look at the roads where they are too lazy to follow any trafficrules i can't believe they are buddhist.

When i go to a market i have to duck all the time to protect my eyeballs for the pins sticking out, have to jump over electric cables who lay in water, have to watch out for old lady's with umbrella's who can stick my eyeballs out.......

Then the lottery-vendors block the exit with their bicycles, motocy taxi's drive over the pavement and even horn to me to jump aside. Even in our moobaan the hi-so thai now drive skelters over the walkingpaths in the parks and ring a bell when they approach pedestrians.....

I guess i'll never understand buddhism.

[Thian]

I always thought buddhists are very unselfish people who don't want to hurt another living creature. Budha will see it all and in ones next life he can send you back on earth as a rich person or as a cockroach/soidog.

But a soidog can sleep on the middle of the road and they'll all avoid him while a motorbikedriver gets cut off nonstop.

Also i thought buddhism is about the karma of a person but i get treated much more polite when i wear expensive clothes.

And buddhism in Japan must be very different i guess (never been there though) because i never heard about the japanese scamming other persons or cutting corners nonstop. They would rather commit suicide then being corrupt.

On the other hand the Chinese are also buddhists and have a lot of bad manners.

Many houses around ours have a buddha room or corner at home, you can see the red lights of it after dark. They are chinese buddhists but they celebrate new year 3 times. I would think they only celebrate Chinese new year but they don't.

[hondatai]

Well fair enough

I have never seen BUDDHA in a Toyota. Only in a motorbike sidecar on a Sunday morning

[FangFerang]

Really, does it matter?

[Nobb]

Buddhist pressure but Buddhist Temple abbot allowed it because Toyota gave him some as they say tea money. Toyota has enough class to not implement him! Never would have let them put that on the Temple for free. Smell the cooking at this temple you complaining Buddhist! Who gave Toyota permission to put that sign on the Temple?

[Kasset Tak]

Oh I just remember! Does anyone remember the temple that put David Beckham on the main Buddha image? Maybe they should take that away too, otherwise we might see Zlatan or Messi as Buddha images soon...