Some civil servants working for the Interior Ministry have been told to address people receiving government services by using formal titles or appropriate terms. “Uncle” and “auntie” are out, in other words.
The directive, issued by the ministry’s Department of Provincial Administration, followed a complaint to the Office of the Prime Minister by a member of the public.
The complainant found the use of the informal terms Pa (aunt) and Loong (uncle) by staff at one-stop service centres in shopping malls to be inappropriate.
The complainant recommended that staff instead use formal titles such as Khun (Mr/Ms) or Khun Look-kha (Mr/Ms Customer).
The letter from the department encourages staff to use polite language and gestures, and address service recipients as Khun followed by their full names. However, discretion may be used depending on prevailing social norms.
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Traisulee Taisaranakul on Saturday sought to clarify the intent after the letter sparked mixed reactions on social media.
She said the letter was issued in response to a complaint and applied particularly to one-stop service counters in shopping malls, where a diverse range of people seek services daily.
“The department is not requiring that officials at these counters address everyone as ‘Mr/Ms’ or ‘Mr/Ms Customer’,” she said. “They are simply advised to remain polite while retaining the flexibility to choose appropriate forms of address based on community standards.”
Ms Traisulee acknowledged the letter may have caused confusion and added the department is preparing a revised version to provide clearer guidance.
Sutthipong Juljarern, a former permanent secretary of the ministry, was among those who found the directive puzzling. He took to Facebook to criticise the suggested use of “Mr/Ms Customer”, expressing initial disbelief and disappointment.
He said several people within civil service circles disagreed with the directive and questioned whether it offered any improvement over the informal terms, which they viewed as warm and respectful.