The government is defending its 7.1-million-baht campaign promoting the 12 core values on the Line chat app.
Unveiling the stickers Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Yuthavong said the controversial spending is worthwhile.
Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Yuthavong shows cartoon characters which will appear as Line "New Year's gift" stickers from the state. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)
He expects the stickers, in which cartoon characters illustrate the virtues, will be a hit, with experts picking about 3.5 million downloads when the stickers go online at the end of this month. Line is a popular instant messaging service on smartphones and personal computers.
"If it is unsuccessful, I'm ready to take responsibility," he told reporters at Government House.
- COMMENTARY: Stickers don't promote values
Information and Communication Technology Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa said the spending, cut from 7.8 million baht originally, was appropriate when taking into account Line's popularity. Thais have 33 million Line accounts and send about 40 million texts a day on the platform.
Critics say the government is spending too much for little likely gain and question whether the simplistic messages in the stickers, such as "Stay focused" and "Sufficiency", will really do the trick.
If these stickers flop, says Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Yuthavong, "I'm ready to take responsibility".
They also say the campaign breaches one of the core values extolled by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, which mentions His Majesty the King's sufficiency economy philosophy and saving money at a time of need.
The public can download the stickers from Dec 30 to Jan 28 next year. The stickers can be posted for 90 days.
Meanwhile, Mr Pornchai warned Thais against posting messages which insult the monarchy on Line, as the ICT can trace them back to their source and take legal action against the culprits.