It is always uncomfortable to read about hard-working people who are taken advantage of by unscrupulous characters. This appears to be the case with "Orm", a 15-year-old girl in Korat who had been making krathong floats for tomorrow's Loy Krathong festival, only to be arrested and fined for alleged copyright infringement.
It is a sorry tale of a teenager, while trying to raise money for her schooling, being caught up in what looks like a dubious sting operation.
According to Orm, she had been selling her bread krathong on Facebook for 17 baht, with customers requesting different designs. Then she received a special order of 30 krathong from two people who insisted that specific cartoon characters feature on the krathong. She spent 16 hours making them, but upon delivery was promptly arrested and fined by persons claiming to be copyright police, saying she had broken the law.
Strange then, that the Japanese copyright-holding company for the cartoons reportedly said no such legal action had been ordered. At the time of writing it is still very confusing and unclear who exactly were the perpetrators.
While it is important to support copyright laws -- and there are violations aplenty in the kingdom -- this looks like a case of entrapment in which the girl was deliberately encouraged to make the cartoon floats by the very people who proceeded to arrest her.
It is hardly surprising she cried all night.
Bargain fines
Adding to the intrigue is that Orm was initially fined 50,000 baht, but when it became clear she could not raise that sort of money, the fine was bargained down to 5,000 baht which was paid by her grandfather. Hardly an official transaction.
Since Orm's case came to light, 36 more people, all from the Northeast, have come forward with similar tales of being lured into breach of copyright, resulting in "fines'' totalling 700,000 baht.
It's not the most auspicious start for tomorrow's festival which is supposed to bring people good luck. When you launch your krathong, just spare a thought for Orm and the other victims of this sorry chicanery.
The omen
Loy Krathong is one of Thailand's more pleasant festivals and certainly less boisterous than Songkran. More importantly, you don't get wet unless you happen to fall in the river, not beyond the realms of possibility.
I must admit to not having much luck with krathong. The stubborn candles usually refuse to light and once launched the krathong invariably sinks at the merest hint of a ripple. On one of my first experiences in the early 1970s I had just floated the krathong on the Chao Phraya River. It was bobbing along quite nicely when the hand of a young lad emerged from the murky waters, pinched the five baht I had placed on the krathong, and the then sunk it. Not exactly an encouraging omen.
Bladder burster
One Loy Krathong festival I won't forget was in 2009, when my wife decided to take her visiting family on a river cruise. My dire warnings about horrendous traffic jams went unheeded. Unfortunately it turned out to be one of the rare occasions on which I was proven right.
I'll spare the grim details, but it took us three hours just to reach the river, most of the time stuck in total gridlock on Sathorn Road. At one stage it looked so hopeless I was ready to settle for a night out at a roadside noodle stall and float the krathong in the bath. What was supposed to be a relaxing evening on the river was deteriorating into a sea of headlights, car horns and bursting bladders.
It was no coincidence that when we eventually arrived there was a mass sprint for the restrooms.
The cruise
The actual cruise went smoothly enough and the illuminated historic buildings lining the banks were a tremendous sight. Everyone aboard was having a great time, although I could have done without a group of middle-aged ladies singing karaoke on very loud speakers. They were all dressed up with lots of bangles and silly hats, but they were having a wonderful time. Inevitably they launched into the traditional Loy Krathong song which you will be hearing a lot in the next 24 hours.
I read somewhere that the song was written in less than five minutes. Some might say it sounds like it, but it is a merry melody and sounds okay even if it is sung out of tune. The last line of the song goes "boon ja song by rao sook jai" which roughly means "good deeds bring happiness". That is something we probably all need reminding of, not least those characters exploiting the people making those krathongs.
Comforting thought
What would have been useful in the aforementioned traffic jam was the Comfort 100, the mobile potty, remember that? In 1993 the Comfort 100 was launched amid much fanfare. At that time traffic was even worse than it is now, if you can imagine that. Desperate measures were called for and the new contraption only cost 130 baht.
Motorists were dancing in the streets celebrating this breakthrough. Driving in Bangkok would never be the same. However, it was hard to imagine hi-so ladies sitting in the back seat of their limousines, hitching up their skirts and saying "Driver, pass the potty please."
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