A lack of awareness over Nazi icons in Asia
BANGKOK:
Thai teen idol Namsai feared being booted from her band after a photo of her wearing a T-shirt with a Nazi swastika went viral, but without the uproar she says she would have remained ignorant about the offensive implications of her fashion choices.
As Europe battles a surge in anti-Semitism, including the desecration of graves in France, SouthEast Asia is wrestling with a lack of understanding about the provenance of Nazi paraphernalia that casually creeps into public spaces.
From swastika-adorned trinkets on sale at Thai markets to selfies with Hitler statues in Indonesia, Nazi symbols are easy to find – a problem critics attribute to ignorance and a misplaced fascination with the fascist regime.
“I was shocked,” the contrite singer said of the outcry. “But I felt it was my fault. I wasn’t aware even though I should have known.”
The 19-year-old is a member of BNK48, one of the most popular girl bands in the country, performing choreographed J-pop-style numbers to adoring crowds.
But Namsai, whose real name is Pitchayapa Natha, waded into controversy when she wore a red-and-black top showing a Nazi flag and swastika during a televised rehearsal last month, prompting the Israeli embassy to express “shock and dismay”.
Namsai, who has more than 370,000 followers on Instagram, swiftly posted an apology for what she called “my mistake”, met with Israeli diplomats, and offered a tearful onstage apology.
Now she says she may join them in conducting seminars on Holocaust education in Thai schools.
”It was a bad experience,” she said. But it also presented an “opportunity” to learn, she added.
The Holocaust is covered in high school textbooks in Thailand but it’s “a small portion” of the world history sections, said Chalermchai Phanlert, an academic at the Education Ministry.
That means less emphasis on Nazis and their impact on Europe.
Derived from Sanskrit and with roots in India, the swastika is a commonly displayed motif in Hindu temples across Asia.
But Chalermchai said younger Thais do not fully understand the swastika’s European context or Nazi history in general. Instead, Third Reich symbols are used to sell fashion and anti-establishment culture. — AFP