BANGKOK (AP) – Ah, Valentine’s Day. Call the police, or better yet the Moral Promotion Center.
In most countries, Feb. 14 is a highly commercialized day of romance. In Thailand, it’s also a time for strict warnings – and this year a new Twitter hashtag aimed at preventing premarital sex.
The Culture Ministry’s Moral Promotion Center launched a widely publicized campaign earlier this week called “Just a Meal for Valentine’s Day” that urges teens to go home after their dinner dates. It’s also asking youths to show support for the campaign by tweeting (hashtag)DinnerOnly in Thai. A Twitter search Friday found that the request had drawn varied reactions of mockery with many postings of the Thai equivalent to LOL!
Despite its well-earned reputation to the outside world as a freewheeling destination for sex tourism, Thailand’s socially conservative authorities are on a constant mission to uphold the country’s traditional Buddhist values among Thai people. Hollywood movies are censored with sex scenes and cigarette smoking pixelated out, and Thai soap operas can’t show alcohol consumption. Authorities annually warn youths to avoid “inappropriate activities” on Valentine’s Day, which is widely celebrated in Thailand.
“Parents and teachers should create correct understanding about Valentine’s Day with children,” Narathip Pumsap, the Moral Promotion Center’s director, was quoted as saying on the English-language website of the Khaosod newspaper. Narathip suggested that instead of engaging in intimacy, teens “show love to their family, society, themselves and the country.”