Reuters: People News: Thailand furious at Lady Gaga's fake Rolex tweet

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Thailand furious at Lady Gaga's fake Rolex tweet May 30th 2012, 11:25 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Webmaster gets suspended sentence in Thai royal insult case 6:27am EDT Lady Gaga cancels Indonesia concert on security fears Mon, May 28 2012 "India's Galliano" says it's all about the product Tue, May 8 2012 Bangkok swelters, sparks debate on city planning in Asia Fri, May 4 2012 Analysis & Opinion Lady Gaga not the only one turned off by Indonesia The brilliant Joe Weisenthal Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » Music » People » U.S. singer Lady Gaga waves upon her arrival for her concert tour, at Don Muang Airport in Bangkok May 23, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Sukree Sukplang BANGKOK | Wed May 30, 2012 7:25am EDT BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's government is up in arms over a tweet by pop sensation Lady Gaga about buying a fake designer watch in a Bangkok street market and has complained to the United States. Bangkok's sprawling outdoor markets and some of its big shopping malls are widely known for selling near-perfect replicas of famous luxury brands, often imported from China. Even so, Gaga's May 23 tweet, two days ahead of a sellout concert in Bangkok, struck a raw nerve with some Thais who said the zany artist had dented the country's reputation by suggesting she could easily get her hands on a fake Rolex watch. The Grammy Award winner, who cancelled a concert after threats in Indonesia and faced protests by conservative groups in the Philippines and South Korea, has not apologized for the tweet, which Thailand's Commerce Ministry said undermined its efforts to stamp out piracy. "Lady Gaga is a representative of the U.S. and the U.S. puts pressure on smaller countries to promote the protection of intellectual property," an official at the ministry's Intellectual Property Department told Reuters, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. "She should tell her fans that they shouldn't use fake goods." Gaga's comment stirred debate on Thai web forums and social media. A small protest took place in Bangkok's business district but that failed to keep fans away from her much-anticipated show on Friday, which attracted 50,000 people. Gaga's contentious tweet to her 24 million followers said: "I just landed in Bangkok baby! Ready for 50,000 screaming Thai monsters. I wanna get lost in a lady market and buy a fake rolex." She was believed to be referring to the popular Ladies' Market in Hong Kong. Officials at the U.S. embassy in Bangkok were unavailable for comment. (Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Martin Petty and Nick Macfie) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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