Bangkok: Bhumjaithai Party has expressed disappointment with the government’s decision to allocate a 1.65 billion baht budget for Electronic Dance Music (EDM) events, questioning the relevance of such spending to Thai culture. Siripong Angkasakulkiat, a former MP for Sisaket Province, raised concerns about potential misuse of funds, suggesting that EDM music festivals do not align with traditional Thai cultural expressions and might even undermine them.

According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Nan Bunthida Somchai, MP for Ubon Ratchathani and spokesperson for the Bhumjaithai Party, highlighted that the approval of the budget has sparked complaints from across Thailand. She pointed out that traditional cultural expressions such as likay, molam, shadow puppetry, Nora, and parade floats, which require significantly less funding, are being neglected. Ms. Nan suggested that a budget of 800 million baht would be more appropriate for supporting these culturally significant events.

Ms. Nan emphasized that despite the popularity of traditional Thai culture among foreigners, the government has failed to provide adequate support. The party is concerned about the limited benefits that the broader population might derive from the EDM budget allocation.

Mr. Siripong further criticized the budget allocation as mismanagement, questioning whether the funds intended for soft power projects should instead focus on strengthening and promoting traditional Thai music and culture internationally. He urged the government to reconsider whether the goal is to promote Thai culture or focus on tourism-generated revenue, suggesting that EDM events should fall under the tourism and sports budget, rather than soft power initiatives. The Bhumjaithai Party is concerned that such projects might lead to the dominance of foreign culture over Thai cultural heritage.