Interior ministry directive calls for more polite forms of address for ‘customers ’ of the government
PUBLISHED: 10 May 2025 at 20:33
Some civil employees working for the Interior Ministry have been told to target people receiving federal services by using proper titles or suitable terms. “ Uncle ” and “auntie” are out, in other words.
The policy, issued by the ministry’s Department of Provincial Administration, followed a problem 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 email from the office encourages employees to use respectful language and gestures, and target company recipients as Khun followed by their full names. But, judgment may be used depending on prevailing cultural norms.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Traisulee Taisaranakul on Saturday sought to understand the purpose after the notice sparked mixed reactions on social media.
She said the email was issued in response to a problem and applied specifically to one-stop services counters in buying stores, where a diverse range of people seek services everyday.
“The department is not requiring that officials at these counters address everyone as ‘Mr/Ms’ or ‘Mr/Ms Customer’, ” she said. “They are merely advised to keep pleasant while retaining the freedom to choose correct forms of tackle based on community standards. ”
Mr Traisulee acknowledged the email may have caused confusion and added the office is preparing a revised edition to deliver clearer instruction.
Sutthipong Juljarern, a former permanent director of the department, was among those who found the policy strange. He took to Facebook to reject the suggested usage of “Mr/Ms Customer”, expressing first astonishment and sorrow.
He said some people within legal service circles disagreed with the directive and questioned whether it offered any improvement over the casual terms, which they viewed as comfortable and respectful.