Bikini-clad beauty queens offend Thais

Miss Universe organisers scrambled on Thursday to calm a furore over photos of bikini-clad contestants posing near an ancient Buddhist temple in Thailand after the images infuriated religious leaders.

The photos, which showed the beauty queens on a Bangkok river cruise with the famed Wat Arun, or Temple of the Dawn, in the background, were swiftly removed from the pageant website.

Religious leaders and culture watchdogs are still upset, saying the episode violated traditional values and morality just days before a major Buddhist holiday.

"This is the time of Visakha Bucha when we are reminded of the Lord Buddha's teachings, but we have allowed this thing that will mark the country with sin for a long time," Phra Thep Dilok, head of the National Centre for Buddhism Promotion, told Reuters.

The chairman of the Senate tourism committee, Suradej Yasawat, said the photos, which were splashed on the front pages of most Thai newspapers, had hurt the country's image.

"It is completely inappropriate. When a contest is being held in Thailand, Thai traditions and culture should be respected," he told the Thai News Agency.
About 90 per cent of Thailand's 63 million people are Buddhist, and any slight against the religion can trigger a public outcry.

Despite Bangkok's hundreds of go-go bars and its racy reputation as the "anything goes" sex capital of Southeast Asia, many Thais are uncomfortable with public nudity, although some are wondering what the fuss is all about.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who hopes the pageant will give Thailand's tsunami-hit tourist industry a badly needed boost, has urged Thais not to overreact.

"I think they did not intend to insult Thai culture. They just wanted to shoot pictures of beautiful places but did not realise that the temple is sacred for Thais."