Wrong spelling of ‘Welcom’ spotted on APEC banners
Thailand has made great efforts to ensure this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting goes smoothly, unfortunately, a double gaff by one of the government departments has left the nation red-faced.
Dignitaries, VIPs, and visitors to the APEC Summit yesterday were greeted by banners along the Chalong Rat Expressway which read “Welcom to APEC 2022.” But that’s not all. If a typo wasn’t bad enough, the national flags of G20 nations, currently meeting in Bali, Indonesia, were included on the banners, not APEC countries.
The APEC meeting which is to be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) in Bangkok from tomorrow, November 16 to 19, is a big deal for Thailand.
The government pulled out all of the stops, cleared eyesore electric poles, and buried electric cables in front of the QSNCC convention centre and nearby areas to offer a perfect panoramic view. Nearby Zebra crossings have been repainted while several roads and subway stations will be closed to prevent the area from being congested.
The APEC meeting is seen as an opportunity for the kingdom to promote itself and stimulate growth in investments, exports, and tourism. What APEC visitors made of these embarrassing gaffs is anyone’s guess.
A picture of the APEC banner with the wrong spelling of “Welcom” first started circulating on Thai social media yesterday while some eagle-eyed netizens also noticed that the national flags on the banners were wrong.
The netizens said…
“We are proud that we have never been colonised, and this is our English skill…”
“My district office can do better than this.”
“So embarrassing.”
“Let’s use Thai words instead, so foreigners will never know it’s wrong.”
The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) yesterday apologised for the mistakes and informed the nation that the banners and signs incorrectly spelt had been fixed.
EXAT added that the banners shared on social media were LED variable message signs which were easy to edit. Only banners along the Chalong Rat Expressway were wrong. Several other routes to the QSNCC convention centre were all fine.
The new banners correctly read, “Welcome to APEC 2022.”
