Two women who starred in a video of a racy dance staged inside Wat Chaiwatthanaram in Ayutthaya reported to police on Saturday to face charges of violating ancient monuments legislation.
Thannicha Nampanya, 27, of Maha Sarakham, and Nitikarn Chotthanapongsathit, 30 of Khon Kaen, turned themselves in to Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district police on Saturday, said Pol Maj Gen Sanit Mahathavorn, deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 1
They have been charged with violating Section 13 of the Ancient Monuments, Antiquities and National Museums Act for actions deemed to cause damage to morals or insult to religion and culture, and for actions that jeopardise peace and order in public areas. The offences carry a jail term of up to one month and/or a fine of 10,000 baht, said police.
The video clip of two women in short red dresses gyrating to music inside Wat Chaiwatthanaram, part of a Unesco World Cultural Heritage site, drew the wrath of the public and the authorities. The five-minute clip was uploaded to YouTube by a user named VKIZZ on Aug 5 and has since been labelled "private".
Rawat Prasong, the assistant governor of Ayutthaya, on Friday called for legal action against the women, saying that both their actions and attire were improper. Pratheep Phengtako, director of the Fine Arts Office Region 3 in Ayutthaya, had also vowed to take action against the women and their accomplice who recorded the performance.
Ms Thannicha and Ms Nitikarn confessed to having danced inside the historic temple on an evening in early July. They apologised to the public and Ayutthaya residents for their actions, saying they were just having fun and were not aware of the consequences.
Two women in red outfits dance inside Wat Chaiwatthanaram ancient temple in Ayutthaya. (Photo by VKIZZ via YouTube)
A police officer escorts Thannicha Nampanya and Nitikarn Chotthanapongsathit to Wat Chaiwatthanaram for a re-enactment of the actions that outraged many people. (Photo by Sunthon Pongpao)