"Why Sunbathe in the Royal Garden?" vs "It Should Have Been Prohibited"

Royal Crematorium and Venue for National Events
"Government at Fault for Not Installing Signage," Criticism Arises

Foreign tourists visiting Thailand were reported to have been chased away after sunbathing in bikinis in the royal garden, sparking controversy. Locals criticized the act as disrespectful to Thai culture for sunbathing in a sacred place rather than on the beach. Meanwhile, some pointed out that the government was at fault for not installing warning signs.

On the 18th, foreign media including Hong Kong's SCMP reported that on the 12th, two white women were seen sunbathing in bikinis at Sanam Luang, the plaza in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, and the images were shared on social media.

On the 12th, two foreign women wearing bikinis were sunbathing while lying down at Sanam Luang, the square in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, when they were stopped by the police.
[Photo by Facebook]

Sanam Luang, built in 1855 by King Rama IV, means "royal garden" and is a venue for national events such as the king and queen’s birthday celebrations, New Year’s ceremonies, and rainmaking rituals. Located north of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Sanam Luang is also the royal cremation ground. Additionally, it holds special significance for Thai people as the base of the pro-democracy protests demanding the resignation of former Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who came to power through the 2014 coup, and reforms of the monarchy.

A local Thai person who discovered the foreign tourists sunbathing reported them to the police. The police promptly responded and warned the tourists to move. When the incident was shared on social media along with photos, locals in Thailand criticized the tourists for their "inappropriate behavior."

A Thai netizen expressed outrage, saying, "This is not a beach but a sacred place," and "This behavior disrespects Thailand." A similar incident occurred two days later on the 14th. On that day, two tourists were found sunbathing lying down inside Wat Chiang Man temple in Chiang Mai. A monk who discovered them warned the tourists, saying, "You must not sunbathe here," and the tourists reportedly moved shortly after.

As the same issue happened again, some criticized the government for negligence in management, pointing out that no signs such as "No Sunbathing" had been installed. In response to the criticism, the Pranakorn administrative authorities announced that they would install informational signs in the area to prevent future incidents.

Meanwhile, last year, about 28 million tourists visited Thailand, generating approximately $34.9 billion (about 46 trillion won) in revenue. The Thai government expects around 35 million tourists to visit Thailand this year as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.