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Does a Wai say it all? 
Does a Wai say it all?
Bangkok Post’s senior business reporter,
Boonsong Kositchotehana, in a report today, raises the possibility that
the famous Thai Wai is now part of the standard greeting on most
airlines serving the 10-member Asean region.
“Passengers stepping
on to Indonesian or Malaysian planes can no longer assume that a
welcoming “Waiâ reflects the cabin attendant’s Thai origins, or the
carrier’s link with Thai companies.
No.2 (Inside)“Airlines
including the long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X, Malaysia’s AirAsia,
AirAsia Indonesia and, most recently, Garuda Indonesia have all embraced
Thailand’s iconic greeting of respect or simply “helloâ, “thank youâ
and “goodbyeâ as a standard greeting for passengers.
“The Wai’s
globalisation started, earlier this year, with the Malaysia-base AirAsia
X and AirAsia, before the Indonesian flag carrier introduced the
gesture, last June.
“The management of these airlines may have
been impressed by how the cabin crew of Thai Airways International
(THAI) have used the custom for nearly 50 years as a personal touch.
“But
these airlines believe they are not copying Thai greetings. In their
view, Thais cannot claim an exclusive right to the gesture, which they
see as a regional tradition.
“Scholars believe the Wai came to
Thailand via India’s Hindu culture. The Wai closely resembles the Indian
“namasteâ, the Cambodian “sampeahâ and the Lao “kubâ.
“In
Indonesia, Wai-like gestures are in use in various parts of the country,
including Java, where Hinduism and Buddhism have been or still are
practised.
“Historically, in Malaysia and Brunei the gesture was
used to convey thanks, or salutations to a patron, or higher personage,
with the level of the hands raised in accordance with the rank or caste
of the individual to whom it was addressed.
Nevertheless, in none
of these countries has the Wai become a national symbol or been deeply
ingrained in tradition as it has been in Thailand.âSource: http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2009/08/does-a-wai-say-it-all/#more-6897
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