The monarchy are highly respected here in Thailand. The royal colour is gold and it is very common to see people wearing gold/yellow t-shirts with the royal coat of arms emblazoned on the breast pocket, particularly on a Monday.
A few years ago the King left hospital wearing a pink shirt and since then a lot of people have taken to wearing pinks tops bearing the royal chrest too.
The national anthem is played twice a day at 8am and 6pm from loud speakers, mainly located on government buildings. When you hear the anthem you must stand to attention for the duration of music.
On Friday morning I was at the Skytrain station as the national anthem started on my way up the escalator. People at the top of the escalator stood stock still the moment they reached the top which gave the rest of us surging towards them a bit of a problem! There was quite a crush going on at the top of the stairs, but judging by people's reaction it is bad form to shuffle forward even a few steps.
The national anthem is played before the start of films in the cinema and you aren't allowed to lick stamps either. Disrespectful to his majesty apparently.....
I am going to try and take a movie of the "national anthem effect", but I haven't found the right opportunity yet.
For friends, musings, restaurant reviews and travel news.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.