Two foreign tourists have provoked outrage after a photograph of them sunbathing at a Buddhist temple was shared online.
According to a Nation Thailand report, the women were spotted by a passing tuk-tuk driver, who decided to stop and take a photo. He then shared the image on social media and before you could say “pass the factor 30”, it had gone viral.
PHOTO: Sanook
However, the acting abbot of Wat Chiang Mun in Chiang Mai says the women were only there for a few minutes, swiftly moving on after a temple worker informed them it wasn’t the most appropriate spot for sun-worshipping.
The abbot says he was unaware of the women’s presence until it all kicked off on social media. He adds that the tuk-tuk driver could have informed the women that what they were doing was inappropriate, but instead simply took a photo and shared it online.
Wallop Wongprom from the Chiang Mai Cultural Council has suggested that the temple deploy people to monitor what foreign tourists are up to while on temple grounds. The abbot says there are only 7 monks at the temple and they can’t keep tabs on every tourist, all the time.
There was also a similar incident at Sanaa Luang in Bangkok in recent days. Salam Luang is the large public park ar the front of the Grand Palace. But the sunbathing tourists got the same advice to get their gear on and find a more ‘suitable’ place to tan their skin.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
