Thailand says PM Srettha’s remarks on Taylor Swift concerts should not be seen as expression of ‘jealousy’ towards Singapore

Srettha Thavisin’s spokesperson said the Thai leader drew attention to the city state’s exclusive deal with the singer to ‘admire and compliment Singapore’

Calling the arrangement a ‘normal business practice’, he added there was ‘no reason why Singapore should be ashamed of its actions’

Reading Time:2 minutes

US singer Taylor Swift performs in Melbourne on February 16. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:30am, 6 Mar 2024

After Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin revealed last month that Singapore had brokered an exclusive deal with Taylor Swift, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday that the prime minister’s remarks should not be construed as criticism or an expression of jealousy towards Singapore.

In a statement on Tuesday, spokesperson for the Thailand’s Prime Minister’s Office Chai Watcharong said Srettha had raised the topic to “admire and compliment Singapore”.

“Singapore’s proposal was an approach that shows they dared to think and dared to do it, and that successfully made Taylor Swift’s team agree to have the exclusive performance in Singapore, the only country in the region. That has benefited the country,” said Chai in Thai.

Srettha’s remarks, made on February 15 at a business conference in Bangkok, were the first to indicate that monetary incentives had been doled out to make sure Swift would perform nowhere else in Southeast Asia.

He said then that AEG, the concert organiser, had told him the Singapore government offered US$2 million to US$3 million per show in exchange of exclusivity, a figure that CNA understands is closer to the total sum for all six shows, not for each.

A lawmaker in the Philippines later expressed unhappiness about Singapore’s deal and reportedly said “this isn’t what good neighbours do”, resulting in media reports focusing on the supposed unhappiness over Singapore’s actions.