BANGKOK – An episode of
"Thailand's Got Talent" has stirred a morality debate after a contestant
painted a canvas using her bare breasts, drawing a rebuke from the
culture minister who called it "very shocking."
Culture Minister Sukumol Kunplome said Monday that
nudity on television is not considered appropriate in Thai society. She
said the show's producers have been summoned to explain why the segment
was broadcast and the ministry will then decide whether to take action.
"This program is intended to showcase the talent of
Thai people and it usually encourages youths to show their special
skills," the minister told reporters. "Still, there have to be some
limits."
The show, broadcast Sunday on Thailand's Channel 3,
featured 23-year-old Duangjai Jansaunoi, who walked onstage barefoot in
jeans and a baggy men's button-down shirt. She introduced herself as an
independent artist from northern Thailand.
She then turned to a large canvas and painted a yellow
outline of a person. She then removed her shirt, unhooked a black bra
and doused herself with several tins of paint before turning to the
audience with a broad smile to display her multicolored torso. The area
around her breasts was blurred out by censors.
As dance music played, the contestant used her body as a paintbrush to fill in the outline.
Some in the audience gasped with hands over their mouths, while others cheered her on.
"If I paint in a normal way, then it would be too ordinary," Duangjai told the judges after being handed a towel to cover up.
The judges then debated whether her act could be considered art.
"I'm not saying this is not good, but it's not
appropriate," said the panel's only female judge, actress Pornchita Na
Songkhla. "Within the Thai cultural context, I don't support this."
As online chatter soared, some called Pornchita a
hypocrite and posted photos from a 2010 fashion shoot in which her naked
torso was covered with melted chocolate.
The panel's two male judges advanced Duangjai to the next round.
"This is an art form. If we were in Italy, like
Florence or Milan, or the Czech Republic, say Prague, this would be OK,"
said singer Jirayut Wattanasin. The audience roared in support, many
flashing "V for victory" signs.
Thailand's Got Talent issued an apology late Monday.
Panya Nirandkul, the head of Workpoint Entertainment,
which produces the show, was quoted by the Thairath newspaper as saying
he was not aware the contestant would be topless and denied the act was
staged to boost ratings. He vowed not to let the mistake happen again,
Thairath reported.
Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country which
remains largely conservative, despite its freewheeling image and a
flourishing sex industry. Censors in Thailand regularly target a range
of social offenses, blurring out cigarettes, alcohol and nudity on
television and in movies.
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Associated Press writer Jocelyn Gecker contributed to this report.
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Online:
YouTube video: http://youtu.be/YWoFXxwNUVM
Topless Thai painter on talent show stirs debate
Published June 18, 2012
Associated Press
Woman gets refund after being forced to sit next to corpse on flight
Published June 24, 2012
NewsCore
STOCKHOLM – A Swedish woman has received a partial refund after she was forced to sit near a dead man during an international flight.
Lena Pettersson had just boarded her Tanzania-bound flight at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol when she noticed a man in his 30s looking unwell, the Expressen daily reported.
Pettersson, a journalist with Sveriges Radio, told the broadcaster that the man "was sweating and had cramps [seizures]."
After the Kenya Airways plane took off, the man died, the Expressen reported.
Cabin crew laid out the dead man across three seats and covered him with a blanket -- but left his legs and feet sticking out, Pettersson said.
For the remainder of the overnight flight, Pettersson was forced to sit near the dead man, with just an aisle separating her and the corpse.
"Of course it was unpleasant, but I am not a person who makes a fuss," Pettersson said.
After her holiday in Tanzania, Pettersson lodged a complaint with Kenya Airways, eventually receiving a $713 refund, half the price of her plane ticket.
Lena Pettersson had just boarded her Tanzania-bound flight at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol when she noticed a man in his 30s looking unwell, the Expressen daily reported.
Pettersson, a journalist with Sveriges Radio, told the broadcaster that the man "was sweating and had cramps [seizures]."
After the Kenya Airways plane took off, the man died, the Expressen reported.
Cabin crew laid out the dead man across three seats and covered him with a blanket -- but left his legs and feet sticking out, Pettersson said.
For the remainder of the overnight flight, Pettersson was forced to sit near the dead man, with just an aisle separating her and the corpse.
"Of course it was unpleasant, but I am not a person who makes a fuss," Pettersson said.
After her holiday in Tanzania, Pettersson lodged a complaint with Kenya Airways, eventually receiving a $713 refund, half the price of her plane ticket.
