Scantily clad women in Thailand get hired by family to dance at man's funeral

Where there is death, scavengers are invited to follow — but these coyotes aren't the sort you'd expect.

A family in Thailand hired coyote dancers to perform at the funeral of a 59-year-old man as part of the deceased's final wish, Thairath reported on Tuesday (April 21).

Coyote dancers refer to entertainers in Thailand — often women — who are usually scantily clad as they dance on bar tops, in nightclubs or at other events.

In a Facebook live video by user Ekaron Phibun (transliterated) on Monday (April 20), a trio of raunchily dressed women can be seen dancing in front of a funeral setup in the Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

A photo of the deceased, Winich (transliterated), is placed in front of the dancers as they perform, and they occasionally turn to the audience as part of their performance.

Winich reportedly died of a chronic illness and his family hosted the funeral and religious ceremonies from April 15, AmarinTV reported.

Once the monks returned to their temple on April 20, a sound system and the coyote dancers took over, DailyNews Online reported.

Winich was reportedly a cheerful person and well loved by neighbours, and had instructed children and relatives not to mourn his death.

He also requested that coyote dancers perform in front of his coffin, according to DailyNews.

Winich was scheduled for cremation at Wat Thepphanom Chueat in the same province on Tuesday.

@asiaone Three dancers performed in front of a coffin during a funeral in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand on Monday (April 20). According to the family of the deceased, it was to honour his final wish. #news #Thailand #Death #Funeral #Dancers ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

A harmless event?

The Facebook user Ekaron Phibun was not alone in expressing his support for Winich's final wish.

"Doing what we're comfortable with in our own space and not bothering anyone is a good thing," said one user. "Personally, I think it's acceptable."

Another commented: "Each person's happiness can be different."

However, some netizens were not too pleased with the performance and felt that it might be a bad influence on children.

"I understand it was the deceased's last wish… but is it appropriate to have young children at the ceremony?

"If you're going to have something like this (coyote dancers), you should separate the children from their family," said another.

[[nid:729354]]

khooyihang@asiaone.com