The images showed what was later revealed to be a Chinese tourist sitting on a chair in the lounge while her underwear dried on the seat next to her. The images drew extensive condemnation from Thai netizens.
The city’s Tourism Association president, Pornchai Jitnavasathien, said he had never heard of anything like this happening in a public location before. He added that the association planned to tell tour operators that this kind of behaviour breached standards of decency.
He continued by saying acts such as this reflected on Chinese nationals as a group and gave them a bad reputation. The president finished off by saying the association had sent a letter to the airport’s management asking staff to be on the lookout for inappropriate behaviour and also for them be prepared to explain why it transgressed social norms.
A spokesperson for the airport was unable to confirm when the incident took place. She explained that these kinds of incidents were fairly common and that staff had just asked the woman to put her underwear away.
Thai airport underwear photos trigger backlash
News in Asia
Images of a woman drying her underwear at a Thai airport have triggered widespread disapproval and prompted authorities into asking visitors to be polite. The images of the bra and knickers draped over a seat in the passenger lounge at Chiang Mai Airport first appeared on the internet about 10 days ago.