Dutch firm apologises over Buddha toilets

The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Bangkok announced yesterday on its Facebook page that Boels rental, the company that put pictures of the Lord Buddha on the doors of portable public toilets in Brunssum City, has apologised to the Thai and Buddhist communities.

After the Embassy brought the Thai reactions to the rental company's attention, the Embassy said the company said it was not aware of the negative impact of Buddha toilets and they would immediately withdraw the designs from the market.

Mass-communication expert Somkiat Onwimon, who published the Dutch Embassy's letter on his Facebook page, urged Thais to forgive the Netherlands, while the Knowing Buddha organisation expressed their thanks to the Dutch Embassy for its quick response in solving the issue.

The move followed a social media uproar started by Thai Facebook users Anuchit Pomthong and Nok Ja, who launched an online campaign to demand the removal of the Lord Buddha pictures from the portable toilets.