Thai Prime Minister urges to promote ‘Soft Power’ following mango sticky rice going viral after Thai rapper Milli’s performance at Coachella yesterday

PHOTO: Prachachat

Bangkok –

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O’Cha today, April 18th, said the government would continue to push Thai cultures and traditions as ‘Soft Power’ after being asked about the skyrocketing demand and the viral topic of Mango sticky rice yesterday.

The Prime Minister responded to reporters’ question about whether the government would consider if “mango sticky rice” will be proposed as an intangible cultural heritage following Thai female rapper Milli’s performance at Coachella yesterday, in which she was seen eating a dish of mango sticky rice on stage, prompting the viral topic and the demand of the dishes nationally and internationally. Milli was the first solo artist to perform at Coachella from Thailand in history and became the number one Twitter trend as a result in Thailand following her performance which also contained political messages.

Prayut simply told reporters this afternoon that the decision was under the consideration of a related committee. He continued to emphasize on how the country has a lot of good and worth-promoting food, culture, and way of life that should be pushed into the ‘Soft Power’ governmental campaign.

“I was the one who decided that Thailand needed to accelerate the support and the development of our Soft Power, especially on the resources that we already had a lot of, to make them and Thailand more recognizable,” he said.

Soft power is essentially a fancy term for the promotion of a country’s heritage and culture through various channels, including food, celebrities, art, and entertainment, notes TPN.

Prime Minister Prayut and Milli have not always been on the best of terms as they had previously had a run-in back in 2021 when his lawyer accused her of defamation and insulting the PM online over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The case was later settled by Milli paying a 2000 baht fine. You can read more about that story below. Meanwhile, as Milli’s global star rises and she becomes an icon to many young Thai people, the Thai government has eased their approach to her and other top celebrities like Lisa Blackpink, as they more fully embrace the soft power approach.

18-year-old Thai rapper fined 2,000 baht at Bangkok police station for allegedly publicly insulting Thai Prime Minister online

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Nop Meechukhun
National News Writer at The Pattaya News from September 2020 to October, 2022. Born and raised in Bangkok, Nop enjoys telling stories of her hometown through her words and pictures. Her educational experience in the United States and her passion for journalism have shaped her genuine interests in society, politics, education, culture, and art.