Thais plan etiquette book

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand, offended by a poster advertising a U.S. film that featured its director sitting on the head of a Buddha image, is drafting a Dos-and-Don'ts booklet for foreigners, officials say.


But the government of the mostly Buddhist country denied news reports it was preparing a blacklist to ban from the kingdom foreigners who have offended Thai culture, they said.


"We are combining cultural tips for foreigners from various places into a book, which will use easy-to-understand wordings and be distributed through various channels," Vice Minister for Culture Weerasak Kowsurat told Reuters on Monday.


Weerasak said state agencies were working on the manual, which would include tips to remind visitors that the head is the most respected part of the body. He said they hoped to launch the book next year.


"We believe such a booklet will help reduce cultural conflicts between foreigners and their Thai hosts," Weerasak said. "They can be aware of what we do and don't here, but it is up to them if they will believe and follow what we've suggested."


The Foreign Ministry sent a protest letter to Philippe Caland, writer, director and leading character of the YBG Productions film, "Hollywood Buddha", after he was depicted sitting atop a Buddha's head in the film's promotional poster.


Caland promised to withdraw the poster.


The film's Web site pulled a large image of the offending picture but kept a smaller picture with a cross mark through it along with an apology letter to "the Buddhists of the World".


"With much chagrin I have learned that an advertising image for my film, "Hollywood Buddha", has offended Buddhists by depicting the main character, me, sitting on a Buddha statue," Caland said on the film's Web site, www.ybg.com.


"I offer my deepest apology for this inadvertent insult and disrespect," the letter said.


The film is about an independent Hollywood film producer who struggles to keep his head above water as everything falls apart around him.


link : http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040913/80/f2gbt.html