Two US tourists held for baring buttocks in Bangkok

This article is more than 12 months old

Nov 30, 2017 06:00 am

BANGKOK: Two tourists have been held for "inappropriate behaviour" after sharing photos of them baring their buttocks at a famous Bangkok temple, Thai police said yesterday, as the ruling junta cracks down on insults to Buddhism.

Americans Joseph and Travis Dasilva, both 38, uploaded pictures of their bared backsides at Wat Arun, The Temple of Dawn, to Instagram on Nov 24.

The men were detained at a Bangkok airport late on Tuesday and fined $150 each.

Colonel Jarupat Thongkomol, from the police station that is managing the case, said the men now faced more serious charges.

"We are now seeking court approval to prosecute them on Computer Crime Act for uploading pornographic pictures," he said.

The act carries up to five years' jail a charge and is routinely slapped on political dissidents or people deemed to have insulted Thailand's monarchy. - AFP