Picture of Day

Another Lewd Thai Music VDO Goes Viral

BANGKOK: -- Another music VDO has gone viral in Thailand. This time it's a new R&B music VDO with lewd lyrics featuring bikini-clad girls dancing and posing their legs like the shape of the letter "M." A psychiatrist fears such a music VDO could lead to more premature sex and unplanned pregnancy.

A YouTube VDO by a group of R&B artists that are calling themselves "illslick" has gone viral in Thailand. In just 5 days the VDO has attracted as many as 280,000 hits (as at 3PM on Feb 13, 2012). The song has been posted without the official music VDO by other users of a popular VDO sharing site. The lyric of the song asks girls to pose and open their legs like the shape of the letter "M." The music VDO also features women in bikinis and lingerie posing their legs so.



The song has also become a big hit in pubs and entertainment venues in Thailand. Thai teens have been emulating the dance movements in the MV and posted them online. They are posting VDOs of their dancing and singing to the song, M-Leg, online to compete who has the sexiest VDO.

Rabiebrat Pongpanit, the former chairwoman of the Association for Promoting Warmth and Happiness in Families, says she's Thailand is a free society, so free that there's a marked lack of the sense of social responsibility. She's called for the relevant government authorities to address the issue.

Psychiatrist Dr. Wallop Piyamanodham says, based on his work and research, MVs with provocative and sexual nature are produced with those with an attention-deficiency complex. The psychiatrist said the maker of the VDO feels the need to create such a VDO to attract attention and earn the approval from his peers.

The doctor also expressed his disbelief at a group of secondary school students who've organized a stripping contest. In the contest, female students of a well-known highschool would take a photo of themselves, in their school uniform, in sexy poses and post them online. The student who attracted the most number of hits by midnight on Valentine's Day will be hailed as the winner. Dr. Wallop also called for teachers, parents and the Culture Ministry to take a more active role to restore the beautiful culture of Thailand.

Yingluck mulls flood proposals

Piyanart Srivalo
The Nation



PHITSANULOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra kicked off her five-day flood-inspection tour yesterday with several water-management proposals, including the controversial one on Kaeng Sua Ten Dam, in her hand.

At a meeting in Phitsanulok, Yingluck and her entourage were briefed about flood-prevention projects in 10 provinces located in the upper Central and the lower North regions. Phrae proposed 10 restoration projects and 196 schemes that need urgent implementation worth Bt582 million.

Government spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said one of Yingluck's main duties was to keep track of the Bt120 billion sought for several projects, including the Bt40 billion sought for ones that still lacked details and specifications. He said she had ordered Cabinet members to inspect these projects and scrap them if they are found not to be relevant or lacking in details.

The budget allocated for projects that end up being scrapped would be added to a communal fund that can be used for more important schemes. A budget clinic would be set up at Government House to regulate funds and consider incoming requests, he said.

Anusorn quoted Yingluck as saying that only projects under the government or local administrative bodies such as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration that are permanent, substantial and practical would be approved.

He said Science Minister Plodprasob Surassawadee, who was present at the Phitsanulok meeting, slammed the BMA for seeking Bt319 million to dredge Bangkok's 18 canals, saying it was far too much money for an easy job.

However, the spokesman did not give details about how the government responded to the proposed Kaeng Sua Ten Dam project in Phrae province, which local residents say would result in a large portion of the country's most fertile forests being flooded while doing little to prevent the yearly inundation.

Yingluck's team will be visiting several locations in the country, particularly key river basins that are frequently flooded. The team is preparing to design new projects for overall flood and water management while intending to improve those existing to make sure they would cope with the problem better in coming years.

Ombudsmen asked to look into PM's conduct at hotel

The Nation



BANGKOK: -- A political pressure group linked to the yellow shirts petitioned the Ombudsman's Office yesterday for an investigation into alleged misconduct by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in connection with her recent appearance at a Bangkok hotel.

The Green Politics group, represented by Jaturan Boonbenjarat, asked the agency to investigate whether the premier had violated any code of conduct for doing "personal business during work time" and failing to provide a satisfactory explanation to the public.

Sa-ngad Patthawi, deputy secretary-general of the Ombudsman's Office, said after accepting the petition he would forward it to the ombudsmen at their next meeting - tomorrow, when they will decide whether to investigate the matter.

Last week, government critic Akeyuth Anchanbutr said that he saw Yingluck on Wednesday afternoon at the Four Seasons Hotel. He claims he was assaulted by someone in the PM's security team, but this has been dismissed by many government figures.

Yingluck insisted later she "did not do anything wrong" during her visit to the hotel, and rejected Akeyuth's suggestion of indecent conduct.

Jaturan said yesterday that Green Politics had requested the Ombudsman's Office to urgently look into the matter. He said the prime minister's explanation failed to clear suspicion that she skipped a parliamentary meeting that day for personal business at the hotel.

"If that matter she was involved in at the hotel had something to do with public interest, why didn't she tell the public?" he said.

Akeyuth, a staunch critic of Yingluck's brother, ex-premier Thaksin, challenged Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday to conduct a joint press conference about his claim he was attacked by a man working for Thaksin. He was responding to Chalerm's denial of his claim.

Akeyuth said he might change his mind and file a complaint with police about the alleged attack.

Chalerm yesterday turned down Akeyuth's challenge for him to join a joint press conference. Chalerm said he had nothing to do with the matter and repeated his call for Akeyuth to file a complaint to police "to make things easier". He also dismissed Akeyuth's remark that Chalerm knew the identity of Akeyuth's alleged attacker.

Suchart welcomes 'donations' to schools

BANGKOK: -- Education Minister Suchart Tadathamrongvej is set to legalise the acceptance of "tea money", which has long been described as bribery and a despicable custom.

His move, however, drew quick condemnation. Speaking to directors of famous schools via a teleconference about the admissions policy for the upcoming academic year, Suchart said yesterday: "I am not going to call it 'tea money'. I will call it 'a donation'".

He said schools that felt the subsidy provided by the Education Ministry was inadequate could call for donations from parents and open separate classrooms for their children.

"You can do that. You just have to make clear announcements and do so in a transparent manner," he said.

Suchart said financial donations from parents should be spent for the benefit of all students at schools given money. And the children of donors must have a fair level of academic knowledge. He did not think children with too poor academic results would be allowed into famous schools in exchange for donations.

The new minister said donations from well-off people had sustained educational services since time immemorial and it was common for schools to accept the children of donors.

Suchart urged famous schools, like demonstration schools Satri Wittaya and Suan Kularb Wittayalai, to double their support to less-equipped schools. He said the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) had found that more than 10,000 schools had quality problems.

Building Thailand Club president Amnuay Sunthornchote condemned Suchart's policy, saying that it would revive the practice of money-for-school seats that had nearly been stamped out.

"I am so disappointed with this new education minister," he said.

Amnuay vowed to take any action needed to stop the legalisation of the acceptance of "tea money".

Chulalongkorn University lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Sompong Jitradub said Suchart's school-admissions policy was not about sharing at all.

"It's not about using the rich people's money to benefit the poor. Rather, it's about injustice. Children of the powerful and the rich will have many more advantages," he said.

Sompong did not think famous schools would be able to take donations in a transparent manner for the benefit of all their students.

"In the end, at least some portion of the donated money will not go to schools but into the pocket of someone," he said.

Satri Wittaya School director Jamnong Jamjanwong also expressed concern about Suchart's admissions policy.

"I have to check further detail and the objective of this policy first. Any rush to implement it may lead to injustice and corruption," she said.

Jamnong felt the policy would be hard to implement.

"What if so many parents offer donations? What criteria will be used to choose students then?" she said.

Benjamarachalai School director Sumonrat Assatarakul suspected some miscommunication after she heard about the financial-donation-for-school-seats policy.

"This policy is clearly against the Obec admission regulations and this means it won't be possible to follow the policy," she said.

Obec secretary-general Chinnapat Bhumirat said in a separate interview that 290 schools were so popular that competition for seats there was fierce.

"But there are many other good schools for parents to consider too. Please check relevant information at a fair held by Obec at Impact Muang Thong Thani between March 15 and March 17," he said.