Chinese tourists were banned for half a day from entering Wat Rong Khun, the "White Temple", one of the top tourist destinations in Chiang Rai, after complaints of inappropriate toilet usage
By Terry Fredrickson
Chinese tourists were banned for half a day from entering Wat Rong Khun, the "White Temple", one of the top tourist destinations in Chiang Rai, after complaints of inappropriate toilet usage
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Chinese tourists banned from temple
The Golden Toilet at Wat Rong Khun. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Well-known national artist Chalermchai Kositpipat is rightly proud of his spectacular Wat Rong Khun, the "White Temple" in Chiang Rai.
He has little patience with people who do not show it proper respect.
Temple managers have been particularly displeased with Chinese visitors who, they say, have used the public restrooms in an inappropriate way.
Thus, after a Chinese female visitor refused to remove a piece of used toilet paper she had dropped into a flush tank in the temple’s embellished Golden Toilet, Mr Chalermchai reportedly ordered a ban on Chinese visitors to the temple.
The ban lasted only half a day, however. It was called off after Mr Chalermchai felt sympathy for many Chinese people who had arrived at the venue only to be denied entry.
The temple was reopened to Chinese tourists on the condition that their tour guides be held responsible for cleaning the toilets if their clients behaved inappropriately.
Mr Chalermchai, who was named a National Artist for the visual arts in 2011, has been working on Wat Rong Khun, the ornate white Buddhist temple, since 1996.
The temple, in tambon Pa-or Donchai in Muang district, is open daily, free of charge from 8am-5pm.
Vocabulary
ban: an official statement ordering people not to do, sell or use something - การห้าม
banned: officially not allowed to do something - ถูกห้าม
behave: to do things in a particular way - ประพฤติตัว
call off: to decide to stop something that is already happening; to decide that something will not happen - บอกเลิก
client: a customer or someone who receives services - ลูกค้า
complaint: when someone says that something is wrong or not satisfactory - การร้องเรียน
condition: something that must be done before another thing can happen - เงื่อนไข
deny: to refuse to allow somebody to have something - ปฎิเสธ, ไม่ยอมรับ
destination: the place where someone or something is going - จุดหมายปลายทาง
displeased: not happy or satisfied with something - ไม่พอใจ
embellish: to make something more beautiful by adding decorations to it - ประดับ
entry: the act of going into a place - การเข้า
flush: to make water pass through a toilet - กดชักโครก
inappropriate: unsuitable - ซึ่งไม่เหมาะสม
last: to continue to be used; to continue to exist; - ทนทาน, สืบต่อไป
ornate: covered with a lot of decoration, especially when this involves very small or complicated designs - หรูหรา,ฟุ่มเฟือย,ฉูดฉาด
particularly: especially, or more than usual - โดยเฉพาะ
patience: the ability to wait for a long time without becoming angry or upset - ความอดทน
proud: feeling pleased and satisfied about something that you own or have done, or are connected with - ภูมิใจ
refuse: to say or show that you will not do something that someone has asked you to do - ปฏิเสธ
remove: to take something away - เอาออกจาก
respect: a feeling of admiration that you have for someone/something because of their personal qualities, their achievements, or their status, and that you show by treating them in a polite and kind way - ความเคารพ, ความนับถือ
responsible for: to have a duty to do something - มีความรับผิดชอบ
restroom: a room with a toilet in a public place - ห้องน้ำ
rightly: for a good reason - อย่างถูกต้อง
spectacular: very exciting to look at; extremely impressive - น่าตื่นเต้น ที่ตระการตา
sympathy: a natural feeling of kindness and understanding that you have for someone who is experiencing something very unpleasant - ความเห็นอกเห็นใจ
toilet: a large bowl attached to a pipe that you sit on or stand over when you get rid of waste matter from your body - โถส้วม, ห้องน้ำ
venue: the place where an activity or event happens - สถานที่
visual: relating to sight - เกี่ยวกับการมองเห็น
