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Thais are in a tizzy over teens' pubic haircuts

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Why you can trust SCMP
Jason Gagliardi

So you thought government reports were always boring; turgid exercises in political self-justification or deadly dull bouts of public-funded tub-thumping? Well, think again.

In Thailand, a handy pocket-sized report issued by Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Maleenont, detailing his experiences at the pointy end of the so-called 'social order campaign', has become the steamiest read in town.

The 240-page report includes shocking revelations about a fad among Thai teenagers for dyeing their pubic hair and cutting it into strange shapes.

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It has set tongues wagging in the corridors of power and elicited a variety of reactions from fellow ministers, from outrage to sheer bemusement.

'It's all very strange,' said a source close to one senior cabinet minister. 'Some people are starting to think that perhaps Mr Pracha is taking this whole thing a bit too seriously.'

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He has faced a barrage of criticism from political foes, who claim he has become infatuated with a vision of himself as a moral crusader, and is neglecting more important policymaking tasks.

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