Ex-Thai MP goes bare for a promise: Amarat Chokepamitkul dances nude at a shrine after PM ousted

THAILAND: How far would you go to make your wish come true? For 61-year-old Amarat Chokepamitkul, a former Thai Member of Parliament, the answer was straightforward: all the way to a shrine in Nakhon Pathom, and all the way out of her clothes.

On Monday, (Sep 1), Amarat surprised everyone with a Facebook post that said, “Today I came to fulfill a vow, as I promised that if Prime Minister Paetongtarn left office before the end of 2025, I would dance naked.”

And true to her word, she did just that. She brought spiritual offerings, created a private makeshift stage, and performed a dance that combined tradition, protest, and personal belief into one striking moment.

Her vow, made out of frustration earlier, was based on political dissatisfaction. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, sparked controversy after a leaked phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen showed an inappropriate appeal for sympathy and comparisons to his niece. The public reaction was quick and intense.

By Friday (Aug 29), Paetongtarn was removed from office. The very next Monday, Amarat, bound by her own promise, went to a shrine in central Thailand to follow through.

According to local reports, she presented traditional offerings before stepping into a barricaded square covered with white cloth. Shielded from full public view, she took off her clothes—her modesty was preserved—and handed her belongings to a friend outside the perimeter. Then, she danced.

This wasn’t for entertainment but as an offering—a symbolic action to fulfil her vow, witnessed quietly by local officials and a small group of friends.

After finishing the ritual, she received fresh clothes, paid her respects again at the shrine, and left without any fuss.

Later, in an interview with Thai media, Amarat explained that she is not superstitious. She admitted that she made the pledge out of “annoyance and frustration,” but once her request was acknowledged and given, it was necessary for her to keep her word.

She said she was sorry for not having the event announced in advance, afraid that people might interrupt her or she’ll be misconstrued.

When the news of the dance was known, social media reacted—but not in the manner that many expected. Many found it entertaining, some thought of it as disgraceful, while others offered amazingly profound insights.

One Facebook commenter noted, “Buddhism has many ways of making offerings—not just incense, fruits, or flowers. Offerings can also be music, chanting, dance, performance… Doing it naked may seem shocking, but symbolically it can mean stripping away everything we cling to—pride, shame, ego.”

Another commented more playfully, “The gods had no choice but to leave the shrine.”

But perhaps the most significant remark came from someone who viewed the act as a matter of integrity: “A promise made must be kept. No matter how small the wish. Don’t wish if you can’t accept the exchange.”

At first glance, Amarat’s act may seem strange—even absurd. But underneath the publicity, the headlines, and viral videos lies something of the past — the human inclination to hash things out with fate, and the courage needed to carry it out.

In a political environment often filled with broken promises and forgotten statements, a naked dance at a shrine—no matter how unconventional—might be the most genuine act we’ve seen in a while.

It wasn’t about the show. It was about honesty. And in a world where words often lose their value, there’s something oddly admirable about a promise that leads to such a revealing—and symbolic—conclusion.