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Thai netizens battle over tourism video using epic character

Xinhua, September 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

hailand's social media has been flooded with controversies as the Thai Culture Ministry banned a music video "Travel in Thailand is Fun" that promotes Thai tourism via epic characters.

The video was released by the Thai Authority of Tourism earlier this month to promote domestic travel among Thais with a wacky depiction of traditional "Khon" characters having fun.

The ministry said scenes showing the Hindu epic character Ravana, the masked demon king, riding horse, a jet ski, a go-kart, and a tuk-tuk as well as taking selfie and cooking Thai sweetmeat were inappropriate.

The ministry asked the film's director to modify the video, which means almost 40 percent of the original one will be removed.

Authorities said the character of Ravana-- the demon king abductor of women -- should not be portrayed doing "undignified" activities such as go karting or taking selfies.

The Culture Ministry's move has caused an uproar in social media, with many netizens seeing nothing wrong in using Khon to promote tourism.

Many social media users shared a drawing showing the back of a sad-looking Ravana with a message reading "I can't do this. I can't do that. I can't even cook sweetmeat ... Oh, please! I am grown up already."

Some shared the picture of frozen-food box labelled "Frozen culture", and called on friends to sign the petition.

There's been an outpouring of support for the video. A website posted Wednesday has already drawn more than 30,000 signatures requesting authorities to open mind.

Ravana or "Thotsakan" is a character from the epics, who fell in love with Sida (Sita), wife of a human king. He kidnaps Sida, leading to a huge war between demons and humans.

Ravana is the king of demons with 10 heads, and with his 20 arms possesses innumerable weapons and stoutly believes in his invincibility.

In Thailand, Ravana is treated as a part of art, literature and culture. It is a character of an epic, rather than a religious figure. His masks and dramatic depictions can be found across various art forms in Thailand including temples and even the airports. Enditem