BANGKOK – Authorities in Thailand have fined a pair of American tourists for public indecency for posing for a “butt selfie” in front of a famous Buddhist temple.
Police identified said Joseph Dasilva, 38, and Travis Dasilva, 36, were arrested earlier this week at an airport in the capital, Bangkok.
They were each fined 5,000 baht (£114) for baring their buttocks for a picture taken last week at Bangkok’s Wat Arun, or Temple of the Dawn.
The two tourists were held late on Tuesday when trying to leave the country at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport.
They had an Instagram account called traveling_butts which showcased similar selfies taken at tourists sites around the world. The account had more than 14,000 followers but after they were fined it had been deleted.
Thailand has very strict laws on behaviour considered disrespectful and offensive to its Buddhist religion.
People visiting Buddhist sites in Thailand are expected to dress modestly and signs advise them to cover their shoulders and legs. Tourists are also told to not buy statues or images of Buddha as souvenirs.
In 2015, four European tourists received jail terms and fines in Malaysia for posing semi-nude on Mount Kinabalu, which is considered sacred.
Also in 2015, two American women were arrested, fined and deported for taking nude photographs inside Cambodia’s Angkor Wat complex.