Couples lock lips for the day of love
Last year's champions and a Thai gay couple broke a Guinness World Record yesterday by keeping their lips locked continuously for more than 47 hours at a contest held in Pattaya to mark Valentine's Day.
The contest – held for a second year at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum – kicked off at 4pm on Sunday with seven couples, including last year’s champions Ekkachai Tiranarat and wife Laksana, who set the record by kissing continuously for 46 hours 24 minutes and 9 seconds.
Museum manager Somporn Nakseutrong said new rules had been added to make the marathon more challenging this year, such as barring contestants from going to the toilet or drinking water for the first six hours as well as keeping their lips touching the other’s at all times. The contest was open to couples over the age of 20.
At about 4pm yesterday, only two couples were left kissing: Ekkachai and his wife; and the homosexual couple Nonthawat Charoenkesornsin and Thanakorn Siththiamthong.
Meanwhile, Bangkok’s Bang Rak district hosted traditional wedding rites for nine couples and marriage-registration services for 1,000 others yesterday. The district office, which is popular because its name means “village of love” in Thai, also held a lucky draw, with the top prize being a condominium unit and gold marriage certificates for 11 couples.
Couples in other parts of the country also made the most of Valentine’s.
In Chiang Mai, zoo employees Thanomsak Tonseu and Supisara Boonterm tied the knot before flying on a sling to the Panda Club along with four bridesmaids dressed like angels. Some 150 couples registered their marriage in Chiang Mai’s Muang district, with the first 10 couples being awarded with Bt100,000 worth of accident insurance. In Lampang’s Muang district, two couples said their “I dos” on elephant-back yesterday at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre.
In Surat Thani’s Phunpin district, eight couples hopped on the “love train” to get married, and signed their commitment at the Ban Don Rak train station before spending their first night as husband and wife at tambon Leelet.
In Satun’s Ma Mang district, district chief Sakda Wittayasirikul issued Thai identification cards and registered the marriage of two Sagai-tribe couples.
PM Yingluck Shinawatra also joined in the spirit by posting the following on her Facebook page: “On this Valentine’s Day, I wish Thais to love each other, their parents, relatives, spouses as well as pay respect to His Majesty and all members of the Royal Family.”
