Dress inappropriately or dance provocatively and face Songkran arrest, warns PM

[Familyaffairs]

The Nanny state has landed.....

[Chicken George]

The Festival of Death is about to start and the main concern is about dancing provocatively! The banning of throwing water on all roads would surely virtually completely stop any deaths of injuries. Playing Songkran on set aside places and closed streets is the answer. How many families will loose a loved one? A son daughter gone forever. The statistics are giving out over the 10 dangerous days are given out like a competition. The North wins every year as they do with the incidences of lung disease from the smog. Stupid as stupid gets..

[Yann55]

Well, if anyone wasn't totally sure yet that this man is one racist, xenophobic and parochial individual, they will now know for certain.

In Europe, there is a long history of political cum religious powers suppressing festive events (especially the Carnivals) because people did things that were deemed immoral. So, Mr PM, when you talk of Western Values, whose values are you talking about, exactly ?

When the so-called 'little people' are kept all year under heavy pressure and raised in a society that acts on them like a total control freak, they need to unleash, once in a while, and that's what those festive events are for. When authorities start to interfere with that, they are actualy playing with fire, and there is a backlash effect that never fails to occur.

[BudRight]

Piss off prude.

[shavedPotter]

It sounds as if the Prime Minister is still upset about the provocative dancing at the Motor Show and he is taking it out one everyone who wants to party. But then again Thai politics is its own sport and has nothing to do with Thai values either. It seems he may have forgot why he had the coup.

[chicowoodduck]

Well, got my good laugh for the day...?

That means that the local jail will be full in Pattaya once the arrest all the nobs on Soi 7 & 8.....get a grip!!!?

[freebyrd]

Such wonderful news,stories such as this and the thousands I continue to read most days only add to my excitement of departing Thailand for a better life elsewhere.

Six years here,definitely time for a change,I like many probably missed the best years anyway,now it really is bottom of the barrel by the looks of things.

My first taste of Thailand was 1988, by the millennium I'd had enough. 5 years in the Philippines, same story. 10 years in Cambodia, it has its faults but things are ok thus far....

That said, one man's meat.......

[stephenterry]

Next week will see a lot of wet policemen, then?

[Jimbo2014]

Errrr western culture didn't really invent half naked ladyboys dancing drunk on barrels of beer Chang Mr PM. Might want to check your history books there ??

On a saner note should we all wear burka?

[ratcatcher]

Priorities...

Nay sir, Prayutities.

[kovaltech]

Why would we accept an religious festival to be a decadent bachelor party with drunks and unappropriated behavior

and why hate it if someone wants to restore its value's to the original...

The majority of the Thai people i know, want it as a calm religious event...

I think most of the posters here have never experienced a real songkran...

[trogers]

What is acceptable and decent to a young girl might not be decent and acceptable

to an old man. He needs to provide an example of the standard imposed.

Good luck

No need. The regulations are enclosure of four walls with silver poles before such displays would be permitted. Not in public and on trucks...

[Thechook]

In reality he actally has a point, Songkran has been hijacked by the western white devils the faflang,,,

Songkran is celebrated differently in different cities, and differently by different people, eg, Pattaya v Chiang Mai, children in a small village v lady boy's and hookers on pick up's, which by the way is illegal as of last year by order of the PM.

Now if you prefer to celebrate Songkran in a more traditional way then maybe give Pattaya etc a miss. live and let live.

Unfortunately this (_____) thinks he has the wright to dictate to the rest of the country how to celebrate under threat of gaol.

hijacked by western white devils or sold to the west by that government agency called TAT?

[blu]

the PM's quote refers to the behaviour of thai's not farang.

[English 1]

Hey General /PM.........Don't go to a Swimming Pool........it'would shock you......Right?

Or Go Go Bars as they would be too much for you!

I am no lover of this water nonsense but there is nothing illegal about a bit of provocative dressing and dancing.....IS THERE? NO!

[MZurf]

Jail for voicing different opinions, jail for dancing provocatively, jail for owning a red rice bowl, jail for selling overpriced lottery tickets. I must say this "PM" has some rather progressive solutions to Thailand's most pressing problems!

[mike324]

Well to be fair, it was the west that invented the water gun that ruined Songkran wasn't it? But to be honest, Songkran has lost its meaning. I would take a stray guess, Songkran is probably somewhat like Christmas in the west. Just imagine if Christmas turned into Mardi Gras....

[eggers]

The way most of you correspondents keep carping away at PmP, you'll end going in for some "Attitude Adjustment"!!

[trogers]

Jail for voicing different opinions, jail for dancing provocatively, jail for owning a red rice bowl, jail for selling overpriced lottery tickets. I must say this "PM" has some rather progressive solutions to Thailand's most pressing problems!

Yes, he has discovered that urging does not work. Time to bring out the big stick...

[chrissables]

Why would we accept an religious festival to be a decadent bachelor party with drunks and unappropriated behavior

and why hate it if someone wants to restore its value's to the original...

The majority of the Thai people i know, want it as a calm religious event...

I think most of the posters here have never experienced a real songkran...

Is it a religious festival? Is Buddhism a religion?

Who are the majority of people you talk to who want it calm? Where in Thailand are they?

A bachelor party and inappropriate behavior according to whom?

I have been in areas where there were NO tourists, or very few and the Thai people were having just as much fun as you would see here in Pattaya with a mix of locals and Thai people.

[TKDfella]

This guy takes a 'power pill' every morning and sets out on his daily rampage completely missing important issues as he charges his way through with his narrow minded blinkers on. 'Continuous Exposure always Results in some Contamination' and that goes both ways Mr. PM.

[NextStationBangkok]

Thai flexible rules for Songkran.

Rule No 1. Underwear pocket should not be longer than your underwear. If the pocket is too long, pull the underwear down!

Rule No 2. Shirt should have at least 3 buttons on the top. It is up to you you keep it open or not!

Rule No 3. Belly buttons should not be visible, but if accidentally opened it is fine!

Rule No 4. Don't pour water on a transparent dress, but if accidentally happened it is fine or if the other party intended to take bath!

[Snig27]

Lest we forget this is the same dolt that blamed Western women in bikinis for anything that might happen to them

[bobthomas]

the PM's quote refers to the behaviour of thai's not farang.

That's the point. Thais have become farangs, leaving their cultural heritage and the proper observance of cultural values far far behind. What follows is a loss of Societal cohesion in which all the malaise we escaped from in the west will be conveniently available right here in Thailand, devoid of the charm and innocence the country had been previously known for.

u b

[Bangkok Barry]

I think I'll be calling him Kim from now on. He might be a distant cousin anyway.

Thailand is far more like North Korea than we can possibly be allowed to discuss here. Which, actually, proves my point.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Seriously? This place gets more like Nazi Germany,Communist China,Communist Russia and Eastern Germany,as it was.

Bringing happiness back to the people,ha! "you can be as happy as you want,as long as it isn't western style happiness"

[DaveyBond]

Such wonderful news,stories such as this and the thousands I continue to read most days only add to my excitement of departing Thailand for a better life elsewhere.

Six years here,definitely time for a change,I like many probably missed the best years anyway,now it really is bottom of the barrel by the looks of things.

Stoneyboy as In Stonehaven ??

[outsider]

This man is the wettest of the wet towels (and he looks like one too!). And has no idea what he's talking about. The girls in the pic are scantily dressed, yes. But, inappropriately? Why don't you take a walk down cowboy, nana, and some other Thai haunts? Some of the girls there are not just inappropriately dressed, they have literally no clothes on! And not just on Songkran, but on almost all nights throughout the year. Arrest the lot of them, why don't you? And the bar owners. And the westerners who frequent these places. By the way, some of the 'luktung' singers and dancers are doing a swell job dressing 'inappropriately' and dancing 'provocatively' on their own, without the need for any influences. It has nothing to do with the west. If you are so against 'western influence', then set an example of not following it and for a start, stop wearing suits. Sheesh... really can't see how such an unhappy man can 'bring happiness' to the populace.

[NickJ]

Thats right Dave....and now that any Army Lt has the right to police in most criminal action its going to get way worse.

[bobthomas]

Lest we forget this is the same dolt that blamed Western women in bikinis for anything that might happen to them

Great! Another ethnocentric clueless comment

It's about cognitive paradigms and cause and effect. But fear not- you can begin right this minute by simply giving millions of people in Thailand the education and experience found after living in the west for a number of years so they can change their paradigm. That's a lot of airplane tickets! Are you sure you can afford it?

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