Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok
Thursday January 31, 2008
The Guardian

As a rightwing firebrand with a sharp tongue and a career studded with defamation and corruption allegations, Samak Sundaravej was never going to be Thailand's most conciliatory prime minister. But the first controversy to beset his administration stemmed not from a furious outburst or political scandal, but from the size of his nose.

Television signers for the deaf are under fire for holding on to their noses as a shorthand reference for the short-tempered veteran rightwinger. Samak's nose has long been a target for cartoonists, and the National Association for the Deaf in Thailand said sign language translators had been using the shorthand for more than a decade without complaint.

But with the new parliamentary session televised this week, supporters among Samak's ruling People Power party noticed the reference and complained. "It is not meant as a nose joke," said one signer. "We have touched our noses for years to refer to Samak, but people noticed this time because we had to repeat the movement over 300 times."

Samak - nicknamed Mr Rose Apple Nose - fares badly against fresh-faced opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, 43, - who gets a gesture highlighting his handsome features. "We refer to a person's most unique physical appearance and for Abhisit, it's his good looks," signer Juthamas Suthonwattanacharoen said.

Stung by the unexpected controversy, the association has been casting around for other ways to indicate Samak, for instance a reference to his passion for cooking.