Editor;
Ah, it is that time of year again! Cool weather comes to Pattaya, and with it the snowbirds. But maybe this year will be a very quiet ‘High Season’ with the world economy and local politics in questionable conditions.
Yet even with the slower winter, too many tourist men bare their torsos with a shirtless mentality, as seen walking on the streets, in restaurants, riding bicycles, and in stores. They do not do this in their country, so why do they think it is okay to do this here?
I even saw 2 Chinese men in a group at Pupen Restaurant in Na Jomtien last week take off their shirts in the middle of the meal while Thai people sitting nearby were disgusted by this act of oblivious arrogance. The insulted Thai people asked the waitress to tell the men to put their shirts on or the they would leave. The waitress did, the men put their shirts on, and all was well. All the Chinese men needed was a polite request and a wai to educate them. I applaud Pupen for doing this. Do all restaurants do this – respect the 99.99% of their customers to tell a couple of clueless and shirtless customers to sit in full dress?
Tour companies and guides should educate their tour groups. The mayor of Pattaya and Pattaya City Hall want to now call Pattaya a “Family Resort”. Do families and Pattaya City Hall and the mayor want to see tourists come and sport their half naked male sweaty bodies in front of everyone, including the good and reserved Thai people of all ages here? Is that a “Family Resort”?
Pattaya City Hall and the mayor’s office should start enforcing restaurants, bars and businesses to require customers to wear shirts. A simple sign required by Pattaya City Hall and the mayor to be visible outside businesses stating – “No Shirt, No Service” – would tell all shirtless people that they must dress appropriately or do not enter, and then the distasteful shirtless men walking and riding bikes would also soon begin to wear shirts in our decent and fine family resort.
Humbly and respectfully submitted by:
Sir William of Doodadshire
