Thai garment workers stage nude protest

Last year I saw a news headline about Thai lingerie workers protesting and I had visions of a picket line of Thai ladies in lingerie. It was nothing like that. Too bad. But today there is a real story about some garment workers in Bangkok who did a nude protest because they haven't been given their severance pay.

A large garment factory closed down last month after sustaining heavy losses caused by the rapid strengthening of the Thai baht against the U.S. dollar. Several thousand people lost their jobs. They are due severance pay, according to the reports, but haven't received it. 300 people protested in front of Government House where interim Prime Minister Gen. Surayud Chulanont was meeting with the Cabinet. To really make a point 10 ladies stripped bare as part of the demonstration.

That's the only photo I saw of the event. I think we won't get to see more skin than that. The story I read did not say if there were any arrests. I think the Thai police have a lot of awkward things to deal with. Public nudity is really over the line in Thai society but the police probably like it a lot more than having rocks thrown at them during protests. The police at beach resorts like Pattaya see a lot of foreign tourist topless sunbathing - must be tough for them. Then there is that terrible punishment of having to wear Hello Kitty armbands if they aren't performing well in their jobs. And all the time they are expected to put on a friendly face.

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