Miss Universe hopefuls offend Thai government

Miss Universe hopefuls offend Thai government

Photos of bikini-clad Miss Universe contestants posing in front
of a revered Buddhist temple have been removed from the pageant's
website after the Thai government complained that the pictures
were offensive.

The controversial images will also be edited out of a film to
be shown during the globally televised final of the competition
on May 31 in Bangkok, one of the pageant organizers said on
condition of anonymity. Women from 81 countries are vying for the
Miss Universe title.

The photos that caused offense featured some of the pageant
hopefuls wearing swimsuits on a boat in Bangkok's Chao Phraya
river with Wat Arun -- the famous Temple of the Dawn -- in the
background. Another photo taken on Tuesday from a different angle
is shown on the left.

"This is against the way of life and beliefs of Buddhists and
we strongly disagree with it," said Preecha Gunteeya, secretary
general of the Culture Ministry's religious affairs department on
Wednesday.

Preecha said that if the pageant organizers wanted to promote
Thailand, "they should ask the contestants to wear Thai
traditional costumes" when posing by the temple.

Thailand hopes that hosting the pageant will boost the
country's tourism sector, which was badly hurt by last December's
tsunami. It estimates that the event and related activities will
generate more than 2.1 billion baht (US$54.6 million) of revenue.
-- AP