"beer and sex were some of the best things to come out of the region" - that'll be the Karma Sutra, then.

"Three of the complainants "also objected that the ad was offensive and disrespectful to Eastern culture because it implied beer and sex were some of the best things to come out of the region"."

Who appointed these 3 people as the official spokesman for Eastern culture? Are they even from the east?

I'd check their credentials, otherwise they might just turn out to be whiny selfish people trying to take offences on behalf of others, whom they don't represent or have any right to speak for, to cover for their own inadequacies.

ASA as ever is a self appointed organisation without legal powers.

The caption could have been...

"TIGER BEER..........It ruvs you rong time"

On the basis quoted, surely every ad in Vogue will now have to be withdrawn.

Are you folks even allowed to think for yourselves and form your own informed opinions over there? It's like someone 1984'd you in the nuts.

And it is just that sort of vital global reporting that has El Reg, Numero Uno in Virtual Mode.

I hope that doesn't warrant a Pregnant Pause when a Noble Nod and Mother's Bounty is all that is required.

El Reg, if you would just let this run on the thread, please ..... We're just BetaTesting some Quantum Stegonagraphic Channels for Transparent Virtualisation Programs. [Crikey, I very nearly missed out the r in Programs there.]

Daily Mail readers then surely.

Well I would never have seen the ad if it wasn't for the complaints!

They've got their money's worth.

"The adjudication continues: "We understood that the ads image was intended to represent a ladyboy cabaret act. We considered, however, that by presenting the character in sexual clothing and a provocative pose alongside the implication that she was rated the Far Easts third most desirable export, the ad appeared to link exports with the sex trade"

Maybe - but only if you squint at it with both eyes shut; if you are pre-disposed to twisting the joy and humour out every fucking thing on the face of the planet and are sooooooo moronic and empty inside that you need to take offence on behalf of a minority that probabaly couldn't care less about this advert.

"and, potentially, human trafficking." - OK, again... maybe, but I guess it would be too much like hard work to PROVE that it actually does, so you just ban it anyway?

Lazy scared little fuckwits.

Wow she is absolutely...hang on, is that a tadger...???!?!?

Seconded!

Also, what if you believe that Ladyboys and beer ARE the best exports the East has ever created? I mean other exports such as Gunpowder aren't very green or humankind, rice and tea use tonnes of water (which might be a limited resource around the time the sea-levels rise), and buddhism doesn't allow killing or violence and so is probably down as being far too dull for a lot of people.

I was hoping that them using Ladyboys had got a complaint of the goods "not being as described" after someone found out they weren't quite as they seemed...

...it's a pretty offensive advert in this day and age, simply because of the message it sends - to wit, the implication that exporting sex from the Far East to the UK is acceptable. Try asking a few of the trafficked women what they think of that.

But it's all right if it's only light-hearted, is it?

And no doubt, I'll be called a kill-joy, and a political-correctness-gone-mad type person.

One with the top off, please.

"they might just turn out to be whiny selfish people trying to take offences on behalf of others, whom they don't represent or have any right to speak for, to cover for their own inadequacies."

That'd be Chris Mole, nuLab, Ipswich, then. He likes riding a bandwagon doesn't he?

Another startlingly interesting IT-based article by the Register.

Journalism at it's Tabloidesque best.

Why not just link to www.thesun.co.uk and save us the trouble of playing "try to find the IT-related post" this week?

'cause LadyBoi's always tuck tuck.

The ASA are a pathetic toothless dinosaur which deserves extinction

here I was hoping the puritans had died along with Mary Whitehouse.

Is it just me or do the same 8 people complain about EVERY ad that is even *mildly* potentially controversial.

What we need is a seperation of church and state, religious fanatics told to shut up and branded as mentally unstable (Which they all are...why else would they believe in some unseen bearded bloke?? oh yeah...keeps the proles in line for fear they will go to hell.... :-| Seems we are already there! )

You can guarantee that the complainants will be bible thumping white folks, or some moaning muppet who claims to speak for the asian community but actually is nothing of the kind, but no one will tell them to shut up for fear of appearing racist...heck someone might actually apologise and hire a "diversity advisor" like my local cops did due to a spurious complaint by muslim fanatic, who claimed to represent "the majority of local muslims" but actually represented near zero. http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2008/07/02/newsstory11590817t0.asp

People wonder why taxes are so high? the above link I think demonstrates this perfectly...diversity adviser...moaning overly politically correct puritan on a power trip more like. Makes me sick that one whinger gets an apology when he should have been told to shut up or go elsewhere if he isnt happy with seeing a dog sitting next to a policemans hat; oh sorry I forgot we now live in smithistan where religion counts for more than common sense

Ad pulled after only 8 complaints?

"We concluded that the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offence."

On the basis of only eight complaints ? Out of how many people who saw the advert ? Priceless.

In fact, the ASA will pull an ad on the strength of only a single complaint of this type.

Yup, just one. So, if you see an ad that you particularly dislike for any reason, like say the people in it are to smug, or you just happen to dislike the company in question, all you have to do is have a butchers here : http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/codes/ for the codes of practice, pick one that you can convincingly argue that has been breached (like say it's unfair to some large number of people of a particular gender, ethnicity or having a particular disability, or, my personal favourite that it is likely to harm children (TV Code 7.4.1 "Material which could lead to social, moral or psychological harm"), or encourage them to behave in such a way that they may physically harm themselves or others (TV Code 7.4.2 "Material which could lead to physical harm to children", see esp 7.4.1 s(1) on emulation of behaviour).

Then go here : http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/how_to_complain/ you can even complain on line.

You can make a satisfying, if somewhat pernicious and misanthropic hobby out of "advert sniping", erm, at least, that's what someone told me.

what else is exported from Thailand? other than beer and sex?

i love the anonymous coward button

And should therefore be banned. Sex is dirty and shameful, be it in acts, in images or in thoughts. Noone should be able to think about sex or physical promiscuity with anything else than repulsion and disgust. The human body is something to be ashamed of. Lust and any physical kind of pleasure or desire are at best a shame (when it's about food for example), at worst an unforgivable crime (i. e. owning pictures made for sexual arousal).

Sex is bad, don't do it. If you MUST have sex (for reproductive purpose), then don't get pleasure out of it. You've been warned.

>ASA as ever is a self appointed organisation without legal powers.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. The ASA's been doing good work recently fighting the bollocks from the AltMed lobby and other bullshitters. They're on the consumer's side. This one seems a bit of an anomoly though.

"it's a pretty offensive advert in this day and age, simply because of the message it sends - to wit, the implication that exporting sex from the Far East to the UK is acceptable."

You, sir, speak like a Daily Mail-grade moron. The ad is clearly (as the ASA itself admitted) about _Cabaret artists_. I am pretty much convinced that the trafficked persons you refer to have absolutely nothing against that.

Also, may I remind you of the fact that one third of the items in your possession have probably been manufactured by slaves, most of them kids? So what, an ad that, twisted enough, could vaguely, unvoluntarily and symbolically be evocative of human traffic must be banned, but directly supporting children slavery is OK? This facking hypocrisy disgusts me. The opinion you expressed if far, far worst than the PC-killjoyness you suggest.

I suggest immediate and violent death as a punishment, hence the icon. ;-)

So if I and some more random friends concentrate on the more radical adds, and manage to contrive some sort of "offence", it will just take 3 of us to send some letters and have the adds removed?

Amazing!

P.H.- Because she would like to stop adds so efficiently...

what else is exported from Thailand? other than beer and sex?

We're also are the worlds number 1 exporter of rice :)

"what else is exported from Thailand?" - AC

Advanced electronics (check some of your white-goods, stereos etc), Honda Accords and other models, car parts, processed foods and beverages. To quote the CIA World Fact Book: "Industries: tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts; world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer"

Thailand is not a third-world country.

Also they do a big trade in excellent cosmetic surgery, I know several models who had undetectable work done there. The lady-boys give the surgeons plenty of practice...

"....."beer and sex were some of the best things to come out of the region" - that'll be the Karma Sutra, then.

I don't remember beer featuring in the Karma Sutra. If it had, then I certainly wouldn't have thrown away my tatty and dog-eared old copy Can you provide a link so I can check this out?

"Sex is bad, don't do it. If you MUST have sex (for reproductive purpose), then don't get pleasure out of it."

Ahh....so that's where I've been going wrong all these years!

As for the ad, well if I'm honest it would do anything BUT make me want to buy the beer.

>asking a few of the trafficked women what they think of that

Probably, "flobba flobalobba flob! "

Or, as Bill said to Ben, "For godsakes, spit it out".

...and you can make up your own reference to the ladyboy with that title.

I would say I'm within the target market for this advert. I didn't find it offensive. I did find it utter rubbish.

The person shown didn't for a second look to me as if they were a cabaret artist. Not for a moment did the image look remotely burlesque. They did however look like someone dressed and posed in a sexually provocative fashion. So stop trying to defend it on that basis as it's just crap. Yes it is, grow up.

It's just a fifth grade effort thrown out into the public space so that Tiger Beer can get some headlines in the full knowledge it would cause some comment. And all you defendants of the advert have fallen for it big time. The joke's on you, suckers.

"We also considered the ad suggested beer and sex were two of the best exports of the Far East, which was disrespectful to Eastern culture"

This makes me worry about why they say this... I want to know the reasons they feel like that...

Also...

@ AC, Another reason this country is a sh*thole

You probably should get out more. I think we can see your prejudices, and this is the UK, not the US. This country is not run by those type of people. Perhaps you should get out and stop watching CNN so much...

Only 8 people complain, out of the potential millions who saw it DAILY! Well knock me down with a feather.

Maybe we could make complaining morons our biggest export, which would have a whole host of benefits to society at large, and if we stuck them all on the same island, they could create their own PC Utopia devoid of any joy for life.

And the rules tend to be stricter. Combine sex and alcohol, and things get messy very fast.

For the advertiser, I mean...

"The ASA's been doing good work recently fighting the bollocks from the AltMed lobby and other bullshitters. They're on the consumer's side. This one seems a bit of an anomoly though."

The ASA does two things:

1) to stop people running adverts that lie. This is a Good Thing.

2) to pander to the ludicrous Taste 'n' Decency sensibilities of Mary Whitehouse-ites. This is a Bad Thing.

It'd be very easy to abolish role 2 without hurting role 1. "The ASA's job is to police adverts for honesty. Taste and decency issues will be dealt with by the Obscene Publications Act and laws on breach of the peace, as they would for any other kind of media". Job done.

Oh shit, the twatfromMars is back

"FCUK you all"

ASA hit the nail on the head. Too many whites (because let's face it, Aussies and S Africans hold the same thoughts) regard the Far East as easy sex with obedient, submissive sex slaves - male, female or inbetween. By contrast, they see us as the de facto best in everything - if that wasn't whitewashing in effect, I don't know what is.

It says it all about our train of thought towards Orientals, when the first thing my work colleague said after we were introduced to a new Chinese employee was "I bet you I can bed her within the week".

As for the ignorant folk (who I suppose this ad is rightly aimed at) who wonder what the Far East offers besides ladyboys and sweatshop workers - get a life and stop taking such a condescending view to fellow humans