The Thai navy does not prohibit women from wearing bikinis on its beaches, but asks the women for their cooperation not to do so, out of respect for Thai culture, the Navy spokesman said.
Admiral Pokkrong Monthatpalin said his army unit is asking visitors not to wear bikinis on the beaches for the sake of “order and in accordance with Thai culture and tradition”.
He responded to a July 27 Facebook post on the “Quotidien de Thailande” account of a photo with a “No Bikini” sign on Koh Samae San, near Chon Buri province. The island is marine area.
Admiral Pokkrong said such signs were only intended to convince tourists not to wear bikinis. The Navy doesn’t ban bikinis.
The warning signs would be removed and replaced with new ones to better understand the Navy’s intention to encourage conservative tourism, the spokesman said.
Koh Samae San is a tourist attraction, but it falls under the jurisdiction of the Navy, he said. The number of visitors is limited and one is not allowed to spend the night there, drink alcohol or gather in noisy groups.
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