Minister for Culture in the Surayud regime, Khunying Khaisri Sriarun, is leading the charge against inappropriate coyote dancing. Khunying Khaisri has impeccable cultural and royal connections. She is reported as being the former President of Silpakorn University, serves as secretary of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation (and sits on the committee of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre) and she is President of Naresuan University and Silpakorn University Councils. She is co-author of a book on the art of Sukhotai. She has responded promptly to the challenges of post-coup cultural renovation. Thai Rat reports on a ban on coyote dancing for girls under 20. Here is a summary of the article:
The ban was a response to Her Majesty the Queen’s concern over a popular racy dance by “Coyote Girls” as seen in the news of the celebration of the end of Buddhist Lent in Phonphisai, Nong Khai Province, bordering Laos, where people came to celebrate the Naga fireballs from the Mekong River. Very close to the temple grounds, a local motorcycle shop hired coyote girls to promote its wares. The practice seems inappropriate for this location. Different authorities involved (culture, religious, education, social development, family, women and children) have responded in different ways to reinforce the rules and regulations to prevent this practice. There is a need to protect young girls under 20; to protect the good image of the country; and to prevent crime provoked by sexy dancing.
Short-term and long-term measures have been launched to deal with the matter. The local administration and police were ordered to prevent the shows in public places. The Culture and the Education Ministries will enact a Ministerial regulation banning students aged below 20 from working as “Coyote Girls” or “Pretty Girls”. For the long-term solution, the Ministry of Culture will hold meetings and workshops with parents, academics, young people and entrepreneurs, to focus on what are the appropriate behaviors in society. These will lead to the solution in a sustainable manner. The scheme will be promoted as a national agenda. (Thanks to Ai Man for the summary.)
The Nation reports an “informed source” as saying that “as a solution, part-time jobs will be made available for students during their school holidays.” But in another Nation report there are already signs of cracks emerging in the campaign:
Education Minister Wijit Srisa-an said Tuesday that he disagreed with the plan by the Culture Ministry to ban girls under 20 years old to make living from dancing. Wijit said the ban should have nothing to do with age but should instead focus on manner of the shows in public places. “I think the issue is getting weird. The ban should focus on improper behaviours in public places instead,” Wijit said.
Weird indeed!
16 responses so far ↓
1 Art historian // Nov 1, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Her conservatism can be better understood by looking at some previous controversies she has been involved in. I recall that she was one of the people who got Acharn Piriya Krairiksh fired from Silpakorn University for theorizing that the so-called “Sukhothai Inscription” of King Ramkhamhaeng was a forgery created by its discoverer, King Rama IV.
Such a theory rocked the basis of ancient Siamese history and was deemed blasphemous by people like Acharn Khaisri. Ramkhamhaeng was hailed by historians from Rama IV onwards as the first great Thai king and the model for all modern Kings. He listened to his people, created a centralized model for centralized military/administrative government, reformed the religion, fundamentally reformed education with his development of the Thai script, and allowed free trade. Without his wise and virtuous example, it would have been impossible for Rama IV to convince the British to allow Siam into the community of civilized nations and enter into equal trade treaties.
Acharn Piriya’s theories are still controversial. After being fired from Silpakorn, he joined Thammasat University, became the first Thai president of the Siam Society, and until recently was the head of Thammasat’s Thai Khadi Research Institute. Acharn Khaisri defended the traditional/royalist orthodoxy, and partly as a result, also rose to bigger and greater things.
2 Nirut // Nov 2, 2006 at 12:02 am
This conservatism is indicative of a general trend in Thailand that can be traced quite clearly over the past two decades. For those interested Heather Montgomery in her book Modern Babylon discusses this with regards to Child Prostitution in Thailand and Graham Fordham talks about it in his book A New Look at Thai AIDS with regards to AIDS research and prevention programmes.
It is according to an Iranian colleague of mine not dissimilar to the lead up to the revolution in Iran…are we seeing the begining of “Traiphum Law” where monks will be beating women with sticks for being seen in public inappropriately dressed?
3 James Haughton // Nov 2, 2006 at 12:17 am
She may know a lot about “high culture”, but if she doesn’t know that the end of lent is all about fertility and sexuality (this is when all the weddings are held) and having a party after the hard work of the rainy season planting is over, then she’s got no idea how culture is actually lived.
4 patiwat // Nov 2, 2006 at 8:58 am
She should get out more
Realistically, she should go to Soprano or Forte so she can see for herself how athletic and well educated the “coyotes” are and how creative their moves are. Heck, she should go to any modern product launch, media event, or trade show and ask the “pretties” how immoral they are for hawking products.
It’s hypocritical for her to imply that it was OK for women of the Sukhothai/Ayutthaya era to dance topless, but it’s immoral for modern Thai girls to wiggle their hips.
5 Bystander // Nov 2, 2006 at 11:25 am
My impression is that sensuality is an integral part of the “authentic” Thai culture up until recently (late 19th century). And that these notions of ideal Thai women being prudish, conservative, and such is a fairly recent concoction (late 19th century). Idolization of Court Lady, “Chao-wang”, culture + imported Victorian sensibilities that never leave? Any historians care to comment on this?
6 Nirut // Nov 2, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Bystander, very true but underneath this is a typically Siamese trait vis-a-vis Lanna and Lao norms predating second wave of imperialism.
7 chris white // Nov 2, 2006 at 6:23 pm
Hmm… ‘authentic culture’- I thought that term was only used these days by ‘carpetbaggers’ intent on cashing in on other peoples cultures.
Whenever I hear that term a scene from O’Rourke’s “Cannibal Tours” immediately springs into my head – you know the scene where the Papuan villagers hear the tourist boats coming up the river and immediately jump up and change out of their t-shirts and shorts and into the more ‘authentic’ grass skirts. And there is this great line from an old fella “When the first Europeans arrived, the people cried out, ‘Our dead ancestors have returned!’ So now when we see tourists we say about them, ‘the dead have come back!’ We don’t seriously believe it, but we do say it.”
This scene always gets stuck in my head like one of those stupid ‘china doll’s’ tunes and I don’t know how to get rid of it. “It’s all getting a bit weird”. I feel like its all happened before.
But to the point – Khunying Khaisr’s comments reminded me about something Thongchai said towards the start of his book ‘Siam Mapped’. “Thailand is a nation, though not the only one, which concerns itself with the preservation and promotion of the national culture as if it might suddenly disappear”
It also reminds me of the effort of early Chakri monarchs to invent a ‘Thai’ culture that appeared to the outside would as civilised (in a Victorian Protestant sense) rather than barbarian (in a sexualized corporeal sense). I came across something that Keys wrote in his book ‘Thailand: Buddhist Kingdom as a Modern Nation State’ that sort of follows the Protestant ethic line. He was retelling a cautionary tale by Dokmai Sot (now is it just me or is that is a sexy name?) written in 1937. In her Short Story Fire “she tells of three students, just about to take their entrance emanations for university, who are tempted by the hedonism of a Western-style dance hall where men drink whiskey and watch performances of scantily dressed women. One of the three succumbs to the temptations of the pleasure palace, but the other two are led by an older relative to see this imitation of the worst of Western culture as an ‘obstacle to progress of our culture’”
Perhaps Khunying Khaisr is doing nothing more than just playing the role of the ‘older relative’ in the cautionary tale.
Or perhaps because Khunying Khaisr, like the monarchs of old, has the ‘moral authority’ as the Minister of Culture under a totalitarian regime (or should I say ‘Thai democracy’) then I guess she is in the position to proclaim what ‘Thai’ culture is and how it will be expressed.
8 Nirut // Nov 2, 2006 at 9:00 pm
So sayeth the shepard, so sayeth the flock, right Ayatollah?
9 Andrew Walker // Nov 3, 2006 at 8:17 am
Erotic dancing alert. From The Nation of 2 November:
Many groups asked to help control erotic dancing
The Culture Ministry will invite representatives from up to 84 groups to discuss how to stamp out the practice of young women dancing erotically at public events.
“We have made up the list of who should be present at the November 8 meeting,” Ladda Tangsuphachai, who heads the ministry’s Cultural Monitoring Centre, said yesterday.
According to Ladda, the invitations will be sent to the Interior, Commerce, Information and Communications Technology, Education, Public Health, Social Development and Human Security, and Tourism and Sports ministries.
Representatives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the police will also be asked to attend.
“We will also invite representatives from 10 department stores, eight automobile companies, five motorcycle companies and 52 organisers,” Ladda said.
The scantily clad dancing girls have become a hot issue after Her Majesty the Queen expressed concerns that some females danced inappropriately at a Buddhist charity event in Nong Khai province.
After Her Majesty’s concern was relayed via the Culture Ministry, several authorities proposed measures to ban such dancing shows.
It has been reported that the Culture Ministry has suggested that girls should be barred from working as scantily clad product presenters and dancers at public events, while police will enforce public-obscenity laws to discourage such shows.
The Supreme Sangha Council also reportedly threatened to sack senior monks if they allow inappropriate shows at their temples.
The National Buddhism Bureau’s acting director Chularat Boonyakorn said she would oversee a project to develop a booklet on activities local organisations should hold on important Buddhist days.
“I am going to check on the dos and don’ts list. Then, the content will be submitted to the Supreme Sangha Council for recommendations,” she said in response to PM’s Office Minister Dhipavadee Meksawan’s idea that a campaign to encourage local people to protect Buddhism should be launched.
In a related development, Culture Minister Khunying Khaisri Sri-aroon explained that her ministry did not specifically intend to ban girls under 20 years old from working as scantily-clad dancers.
“We just want to find some relevant laws. For example, there are laws banning youths under 20 years old from entering night-time entertainment venues,” she said.
She added her ministry was in fact focused on inappropriate shows in public places.
Khaisri said she had already instructed provincial cultural offices across the country to work closely with local administrative bodies in ensuring that no damage was done to the Kingdom’s culture.
She said her ministry did not have any law to directly prevent the inappropriate shows and would ask relevant authorities to explore available laws. Khaisri expressed confidence that this issue could find a place on the national agenda because it was in line with the government’s policy to promote morality and knowledge.
However, Srinakharinwirot University’s president Wiroon Tungcharoen said there were many larger issues that deserved national-agenda status.
“Every relevant party should play a role in preventing the inappropriate dance shows but this is just a small problem reflective of bigger problems about morality, education, employment and quality of life. What are the values cherished by the younger generation?” he said.
10 nganadeeleg // Nov 3, 2006 at 8:48 am
‘However, Srinakharinwirot University’s president Wiroon Tungcharoen said there were many larger issues that deserved national-agenda status.
“Every relevant party should play a role in preventing the inappropriate dance shows but this is just a small problem reflective of bigger problems about morality, education, employment and quality of life. WHAT ARE THE VALUES CHERISHED BY THE YOUNGER GENERATION?” he said.’
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/03Nov2006_news14.php
11 Drunk and Angry // Nov 3, 2006 at 1:52 pm
Damn her… damn her to hell. My favorite coyote girl at a certain place on RCA is 18 and studies in university. She makes enough a month to pay private university tuition, pay for her little brother’s studies, pay for the orthodontist to fix her teeth, and send money to her mom (who sells food at a school in the Northeast).
There was nothing immoral about what she did. All she did was dance and drink with customers. Never slept with me, not that I didn’t try. Never even let me kiss her on the lips. Never let my hands wander too much, and I qualify as one of her “regulars.” Never took her clothes off. Never did drugs. Did well in school, and slept only about 4 hours a day. By no means did she live an extravagant life – her rent was only 2,000 baht a month, and she worked so hard she hardly ever went out to the movies or shopping. Yes, she has a LV handbag, but it costs only 200B. Her biggest expense besides tuition, dentist, and rent is make-up, and she only wears that when she works.
And now that old lady is saying that she’s immoral! What right does she have? There was nothing immoral about what she was doing. Is she saying that it’s OK do dance Ram Wong for money but it’s not OK to dance Hip Hop for money? Her clothing (usually a miniskirt and a tank-top) might have been skimpy, but not that much skimpier than what richer girls would wear clubbing at Beds or Santika. Her sexy dancing never provoked me to crime. She might be a teenager, but she’s an adult. She doesn’t need to be protected by patronizing old ladies who minds are stuck in the ancient days.
How is my friend going to pay her way through college? Working part-time at MK Suki for 35 Baht an hour? That won’t pay her little brother’s high school expenses, let alone her college expenses.
This is probably a scheme by those dirty old men in the cabinet to force good-looking coyote girls and pretties into prostitution.
12 James Haughton // Nov 3, 2006 at 10:50 pm
I wonder what effect this will have on the thai tourism market. I can see an upsurge of thais going to Laos (do cambodia and burma have coyote dancers?) for buddhist festivals if this actually goes anywhere (which it won’t).
13 Andrew Walker // Nov 4, 2006 at 9:23 pm
See Asia Sentinal for an interesting article on \”Thailand\’s New Nannies\”.
14 patiwat // Nov 7, 2006 at 9:37 am
Andrew, that links doesn’t work. This should.
15 New Mandala » Dance for health // Dec 30, 2006 at 5:31 pm
[...] It must be a quiet season for news as the Sydney Morning Herald has just got hold of Thailand’s coyote dancing crisis: … Queen Sirikit intervened after a recent performance [by coyote girls] near a Buddhist temple on one of the religion’s holiest days. That prompted a crackdown that has turned Coyote Girls into a subject of national debate and official disapproval. [...]
16 sueksit nanhuay // May 26, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Judging from their economy of costume, these coyotes should be applauded for truly practicing sufficiency economy.
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