Can Valentine’s Day Get Any Weirder?

On V-Day this year in Bangkok, the government established a one-day-only 10pm curfew for under-18s aimed at preserving their virginities. Teens all over town seemed less interested in the government’s decree than in how many little heart stickers they could attach to their school uniforms.

Reducing Thailand’s steadily rising teenage pregnancy and abortion rates has perplexed policymakers, who were embarrassed earlier this year when their recommended answer to a question on a nation-wide university entrance exam was made public. The multiple-choice test asked kids what they should do when they felt sexual urges. These were the options:

A: Call friends to go play soccer
B: Talk to your family
C: Try to sleep
D: Go out with a friend of the opposite sex
E: Invite a close friend to see a movie

People just shook their heads when the “correct” answer was revealed to be A—soccer. With the exam board showing that level of savvy, maybe it wasn’t surprising to see river taxi and skytrain stops swarming yesterday with public health people standing around with free condoms… and appearing too shy to actually approach anyone with their loot.

Meanwhile, a delayed World AIDS Day observance, also scheduled for Valentine’s Day (December 1st was postponed due to flooding), featured the theme “Love and Rhythm.” The U.S. Ambassador spoke at the event, despite the Thai government’s being upset with her for not consulting them before sending out a text message about possible terrorism a few weeks earlier.

Ironically, shortly after her speech, explosions in another part of town were blamed on three Iranians. One of them blew off his own legs in the process. At press time it was unclear what their motives may have been.

Presumably they weren’t feeling sexual urges.