Conservative officials are in outrage about a new video promoting domestic tourism which they say should be banned. 

 

The video, titled “Tiew Thai Mee Hay,” was uploaded to YouTube on Sep 11 as part of the Yak Tiew Thai campaign, whose origins are shrouded in mystery. It shows Thotsakan, the Ramakien's giant warrior, and his followers as they frolick around the country doing regular tourist stuff. 

 

 

But the seemingly harmless video has drawn the ire of conservative officials who feel it degrades Thai culture. 

 

Ladda Tangsupachai, an ex-artist of the Office of Performing Arts, Fine Arts Department, filed a complant to Bunditpatanasilpa Institute, which oversees all Thai traditional dance schools, saying the video tarnishes the reputation of the Ramakien high court theater play. 

 

As reported by Khaosod Thai, the board of the Bunditpatanasilap Institute responded by expressing its concern that the video depicts Thotsakan and his followers carrying out acts such as cooking kanom krok, driving a go-cart and taking selfies. 

 

 

The board invited the video's director, Bundit Thongdee, who is also chairman of the Thai Film Director Association, to discuss the possibility of banning his own video. 

 

Bundit wasn't too impressed. He has since taken to his personal Facebook account to post the following statement: "Should the value of culture be left hanging on the shelf? You can't bring it down to create something that benefits the country. I was threatened with the prospect of being sued by officials who say I destroyed Thai culture." 

 

In another post, he pointed out the absurdity of being branded a culture destroyer in the same week he was made an ambassador for Thai culture, with the Thai Film Director Association picking his controversial horror film Arpat to be Thailand's entry to the next Oscars.

 

The director also opened up to Nine Entertain media to insist that all his actors are actually traditional dance students from Wittayalai Nattasilp School, a dance school overseen by Bunditpatanasilpa Institute, while the acting coach, who gave advice throughout shooting, even comes from the Fine Arts Department.

 

 

The news has drawn widespread debate online, including on the Drama Addict page, where netizens have praised the director for giving Thai culture a modern polish, while criticizing the officials for letting Thai culture stagnate. 

 

Among the public figures to comment is the Thai contemporary dancer Pichet Klunchun, who as a Khon perfomer has depicted Thotsakan on stage.

 

Pichet's Facebook comment reads: “What is worse, Thotsakan doing inappropriate things or performers drinking alcohol before showtime, not practicing, not taking care of themselves? A play that some people say should only be in theaters is now shown in restaurants and hotels, on the street and even river cruises. So many inappropriate incidents have already happened to Thai traditional dance, but it's never talked about. It's the same old story: some people can’t separate between culture, beliefs, reality and present time." 

Khaosod Thai also reported Ladda as saying the video production team has accepted their mistake and will revise their work. She also says the Bunditpatanasilap Institute will set up a professional code of ethics to sustainably protect national treasures like high court Thai dance.

 

The music video at the center of this storm, which remains online despite the threat of being banned, is sung by Thachaya "Keng" Prathumwan, the runner-up of The Voice Thailand.