News
Two in Thai Maid Cafe Arrested, "Obscene" Manga Seized
posted on by Egan Loo
Thailand's police arrested two managers of Akiba, a maid cafe in Bangkok's Siam Square, and confiscated 200 volumes of imported Japanese manga on July 18. One of those arrested is Thavatchai Pruekrisakul, the 26-year-old who opened the cafe with Taveelarp Kumpolkarnjana. The two opened the shop as Southeast Asia's first maid cafe on April 21, 2006. The police explained the arrests and confiscation: "We investigated due to complaints from guardians that children would frequent the maid cafe. There was obscene artwork in the manga."
Like the Japanese maid cafes that inspired it, Akiba has waitresses dressed as French maids serving the customers. The cafe's name itself comes from the nickname for Tokyo's Akihabara pop culture shopping district that is dotted with similar shops. Like the manga kissaten ("cafes") in Japan, Akiba also provides volumes of manga (many imported from Akihabara) for customers to read while drinking or dining inside. The customers are primarily young anime and manga fans.
Source: Jiji Press, The Nation
Thank you to dormcat for providing the tip.
Image © 2007 Akiba Revolution Co., Ltd.
