Young Chinese women visiting Thailand have taken to dressing up in Thai school uniforms, which has irritated the Ministry of Education.
It turns out that being a non-student and wearing a school uniform is acceptable as long as it does not bear the initials of a real school. But if someone wearing a real uniform with a real school name on it does something that could tarnish that real school’s reputation, they’re in big trouble.
Tourists — and probably the majority of Thais — may be unaware, but Thailand has a Student School Uniforms Act. You could be fined if you break it.
If tourists misbehave while wearing school uniforms with school initials, the school management has the right to file a legal complaint, Amporn Pinasa, secretary-general of the Office of the Basic Education Commission, told Thai PBS on Wednesday.
He stated that he would discuss the matter with other organizations, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tourism and Sports Ministry, in order to avoid any negative consequences from the fashion craze.
Lawyer Ratchapol Sirisakorn stated on his Facebook page that people who were not students but wore school uniforms with school initials were considered imposters and could face a fine of up to 1,000 baht.
It would not be an offence if tourists’ student uniforms only showed their own names, he said.
When the Thai teen romantic comedy First Love, also known as A Little Thing Called Love, became popular in China, the school uniforms craze took off.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the craze faded. It resurfaced last month when famous Chinese actress and singer Ju Jingyi wore a Thai student uniform during her visit to the country and posted photos online.