Bikini-clad beauty queens offend Thais
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Miss Universe organisers scrambled on Thursday to calm a furore over photos of bikini-clad contestants posing near an ancient Buddhist temple in pageant host Thailand after the images infuriated religious leaders.
The photos, which showed beauty queens on a Bangkok river cruise with the famed Wat Arun, or "Temple of Dawn", in the background, were swiftly removed from the pageant Web site.
But religious leaders and culture watchdogs are still upset, saying the episode violated traditional values and morality just days before a key Buddhist holiday.
"This is the time of Visakha Bucha when we are reminded of Lord Buddha's teachings. But we have allowed this thing which will mark the country with sin for a long time," Phra Thep Dilok, head of the National Center for Buddhism Promotion, told Reuters.
The chair of the Senate tourism committee, Suradech Yasawat, said the photos, which were splashed on the front pages of most Thai newspapers, had hurt the country's image.
"It is completely inappropriate. When a contest is being held in Thailand, Thai traditions and culture should be respected," he told the Thai News Agency.
About 90 percent of Thailand's 63 million people are Buddhist and any slight against the religion can trigger a public outcry.
Last year, the director of the U.S. movie "Hollywood Buddha" apologised for offending Thais by sitting on the head of a Buddha image for an advertising poster. Thai Buddhists consider the head the most sacred part of the body and it is not to be touched.
And despite Bangkok's hundreds of go-go bars and its racy reputation as the "anything goes" sex capital of Southeast Asia, many Thais are uncomfortable with public nudity.
FOOTAGE VETTED
Pageant president Paula Shugart said the temple incident was unfortunate and would not happen again.
"We knew that if we had any visits to the temple, we knew how the women had to dress. This happened to be out on the river and unfortunately it appeared in the background," she told Reuters.
"We would never, ever do anything to intentionally offend anyone here".
The Miss Universe franchise is a partnership between real-estate mogul Donald Trump and U.S. television network NBC.
Shugart said video footage of the 81 Miss Universe hopefuls -- who have gone on elephant rides, toured temples and frolicked on beaches since arriving last week -- would be vetted by the pageant's Thai partners before the May 31 grand finale is broadcast worldwide. It screens in the United States on May 30.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who hopes the pageant will give Thailand's tsunami-hit tourist industry a badly-needed boost, has urged Thais not to overreact.
Thailand has spent 265 million baht on hosting the event and expects to earn 3.2 billion baht in revenue from the pageant and other activities.
"I think they did not intend to insult Thai culture. They just wanted to shoot pictures of beautiful places but did not realise that the temple is sacred for Thais," he said.
Some Thais are also wondering what the fuss is all about.
"We wanted to promote our tourism industry, right? If we want tourists to come to Thailand, then let them see it," said a university student on an Internet chat site.
Trooper: DUI Suspect Tried to Hit on Me
WOODVILLE, Maine - A state trooper says she's baffled by the behavior of a suspect who displayed amorous intentions as she was taking him into custody for getting into a car accident and failing three roadside sobriety tests.
"What did he think I was going to do? Go out on a date with him?" asked Trooper Jennifer Fiske, who arrested Peter Bradley Murray early Sunday morning on Route 116.
Murray, 42, allegedly began behaving inappropriately while seated beside Fiske in the front passenger seat of her cruiser, which has no cage separating front and back seats.
"Then he said, 'You have beautiful green eyes,' and he started touching my arm," Fiske said. "I'd had enough of that."
Fiske got out of the car and went around to the passenger seat to handcuff Murray. She said he tried to cuff himself to her, saying, "I just want us to be tied together."
Fiske responded by giving a sudden short twist to the handcuff and rapping him on the thigh with her police baton. She said he later tried to grab for the steering wheel, forcing additional smacks.
Murray was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence, assault on a police officer, refusing to submit to arrest, and refusing to sign or give a name.
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