Storm dance

A provocative dance may at¬tract huge crowds almost anywhere, but a little pole dancer here has caused public outrage.

In video clips posted on many websites, a prepuberty girl waves her hips and moves sexually around a pole.

The background suggests she must have been at a big event or perhaps the motor show.

"Several viewers have com¬plained that the use of a young girl for such a dance is totally inappropriate," Culture Watch Centre director Ladda Tangsupachai said yesterday. "The girl seems to be just about 10 years old."

She said her centre would try to find out where the little pole dancer had performed.

"Our officials will check whether the video clips were filmed at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (Bitec)," Ladda said.

Open to the public since March 26, the 30th Bangkok International Motor Show is on till April 6 at Bitec.

Motor show denial

However, the committee or¬ganising the motor show yes¬terday firmly rejected any sug¬gestion that the child pole dancer was at its event.

"We have a strict rule that all dancers on stage must be over 18 years old," Jaturont Komolmis said in his capacity as the organising committee's deputy chair.

He said the rule carried penalties in the form of a sixfigure fine and a ban from the motor show.

"The motor show involves a very big business. We are not going to do anything that will ruin our image," Jaturont said.

According to him, up to 10 plainclothes policemen and seven staff members are pa¬trolling the motor show's venue each day to ensure that there are no inappropriate things go¬ing on.

On March 29, police also arrested a group of scantily clad girls for dancing around and posing for video cameras.

"These girls are not part of our motor show. Their clothes are much more revealing than those who really work here," Jaturont said.

He suspected that someone might have tried to damage the Bangkok International Motor Show's reputation by claiming that a very young girl performed a pole dance there.

Ladda said her centre would also dispatch its officials to big events including the annual Thai Red Cross fair and OTOP fairs.

"If we find anything inappropriate, we will issue warnings," Ladda said.

She planned to ask Royal Thai Police's Children, Juveniles and Women Division and the Human Security and Social Development Ministry to take action.

"The ministry is armed with laws that can protect the children including any girl that might have been exploited," Ladda said.