"The Loy Krathong Festival is a beautiful part of Thai culture. We hope all relevant parties will hold appropriate activities for this festival," Culture Ministry acting permanent secretary Veera Rojanapojanarat said.

He was referring to ongoing moves to deter scantily clad young women from dancing erotically in public places. Widely dubbed "coyote dances", these sexually suggestive dances began in pubs but have recently spread to public events.

According to Veera, provincial culture officers have been instructed to work closely with local administrative bodies to ensure that no damage was done to the country's culture.

Religious Affairs Department directorgeneral Preecha Kanthiya said the "coyote dances" could be counted as offences against the National Culture Act of BE2485.

"Such dances are against our culture and tradition," he said.

He also called on all relevant parties to heed to Her Majesty the Queen's concerns over the fact that some women danced inappropriately at a Buddhist charity event in Nong Khai province. After Her Majesty's concern was relayed via the Culture Ministry, several authorities proposed measures to discourage such dancing shows.

"Please refrain from any activity that will harm society," Preecha said.

National Culture Commission secretarygeneral Prisana Pongtadsirikul yesterday said organisers of activities should ensure that performers act and dress appropriately.

"There should be no 'coyote dances'. For traditional dances, organisers should also ensure that dancers do not wear tooshort skirts and do not perform any erotic moves," she said.

The Nation