Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Badge of Shame

Hello Kitty as a deterent; from the news

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thai police officers who break rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring "Hello Kitty," the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday. ADVERTISEMENTPolice officers caught littering, parking in a prohibited area, or arriving late — among other misdemeanors — will be forced to stay in the division office and wear the armband all day, said Police Col. Pongpat Chayaphan. The officers won't wear the armband in public.The striking armband features Hello Kitty sitting atop two hearts."Simple warnings no longer work. This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor," said Pongpat, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok."(Hello) Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It's not something macho police officers want covering their biceps," Pongpat said.He said police caught breaking the law will be subject the same fines and penalties as any other members of the public."We want to make sure that we do not condone small offenses," Pongpat said, adding that the CSD believed that getting tough on petty misdemeanors would lead to fewer cases of more serious offenses including abuse of power and mistreatment of the public by police officers.Hello Kitty, invented by Sanrio Co. in 1974, has been popular for years with children and young women. The celebrity cat adorns everything from diamond-studded jewelry, Fender guitars and digital cameras to lunch boxes, T-shirts and stationery.Email Story IM Story Printable View RECOMMEND THIS STORYRecommend It: Average (1122 votes)» Recommended StoriesFull Coverage: ThailandOff the WiresHello Kitty to punish bad-boy Thai police AFP, Mon Aug 6, 2:13 AM ET Thailand to launch environment satellite in November AFP, Mon Aug 6, 1:59 AM ET Feature ArticlesThe day the Thai economy crashed at BBC, Jul 02 n Thailand, Keeping the Fes

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are so funny, I can't believe you manage to find this kind of stuff. I sure hope you had a great time last night, thank you so much for the picture. Luv ya take care. stacy

Kat said...

I think that is hysterical!!
I wonder if it really works as a deterrent. LOL!!

Bobbisox said...

They showed the video on all the major news programs of putting it on the men. Cute, glad you liked the article. I hope you get to the blogs again soon and your computer at home works for you. Luckily we have 3 here at the house and our DSL is fine.