American Tourist Couple Arrested After Mooning Thailand Buddhist Temple

Two American tourists were held by Thailand immigration authorities upon trying to exit the country Tuesday night, the Bangkok Post reported Wednesday. The two men, both US citizens, were arrested on charges of showing their naked buttocks while posing for photos at a famous Buddhist temple. They later posted the photos to social media.

Pol Col Choengron Rimpadee, the deputy spokesman of immigration police, said the pair was arrested at the Don Mueang airport Tuesday night. The two men, identified as Joseph Dasilva, 38, and Travis Dasilva, 36, admitted to taking their pants down and posing for photos at Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. Afterward, they were taken to the Bangkok Yai police station. The two men were charged with public nudity and each paid a fine of 5,000 baht ($153).

“Once they are through with the charges, the Thai immigration police will revoke their visas and push for deportation,” Rimpadee said. “They will also be blacklisted from coming back to Thailand.”

Thailand has strict laws regarding the Buddhist religion. Public nudity is considered offensive. The two men had an Instagram account called traveling_butts, which showed similar photos taken at various tourist locations around the world. The account had over 14,000 followers, but has since been deleted. After the photos were posted online, the men were put on a watchlist since the pictures drew attention from the authorities. According to district police chief Jaruphat Thongkomol, the pair will also be fined for a similar picture they took at another Bangkok temple. However, the men may face another, more serious charge because the photos were published online.

“We are now seeking court approval to prosecute them on Computer Crime Act for uploading pornographic pictures,” Thongkomol said.

If charged with the Computer Crime Act, the two men could face up to five years in jail.