The leader of Thailand’s Move Forward Party and the country’s potential next prime minister Pita Limjaroenrat took to Twitter on Thursday to invite American megastar Taylor Swift to perform in Bangkok.
Describing himself as a “big fan”, he said Thailand is “back on track to be fully democratic”, referring to how the singer-songwriter cancelled her 2014 concert in the Thai capital after a military coup.
“The Thai people have spoken via the election and we all look forward to welcoming you to this beautiful nation of ours!” Mr Pita said in his tweet.
Swift is currently performing concerts around the world as part of her The Eras Tour, which runs until August 2024.
In Asia, she is performing only in Japan and Singapore. Singapore, where she will perform six shows, is her only stop in South-east Asia.
Thai fans have been anticipating her concert eagerly after she was due to perform in Thailand in 2014.
That year, she launched The Red Tour Live In Bangkok 2014, which was scheduled for June 9, 2014. Tickets to the concert, which ranged between 2,000 and 6,500 baht (about $77 and $250) were sold out within an hour.
But the event was cancelled in late May due to the political coup on May 22, 2014, leaving many Thai “Swifties”, as her fans are known, heartbroken.
Mr Pita’s appeal to Swift was retweeted more than 136,000 times, with many Thai Swifties expressing their appreciation for his efforts.
One netizen said Taylor “has to feel something” because “even the PM is begging”, according to a report on Thai news website Thaiger.
Another described Mr Pita as being “cool”, adding: “I’m proud of him regardless of whether Swift comes or not.”
Not everyone agreed with Mr Pita’s action, though.
Mr Surachai “Nga” Chantimathon, from the Thai folk rock band Caravan, pointed out he attended concerts by Coldplay and other international performers when the country was under military rule.
In a Facebook post, he questioned if Swift was really against “dictatorships”, or if she had put business first.
He also called on Mr Pita to delete his post, saying “it makes you look silly”.
Mr Pita is not the only political leader on social media to invite Swift to perform.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had done the same, using lyrics from her song to extend the invitation in a tweet on Thursday.
“I know places in Canada would love to have you. So, don’t make it another cruel summer. We hope to see you soon,” he said in his tweet.
As with Mr Pita’s tweet, reactions were similarly mixed for the Canadian PM. Some praised Mr Trudeau for outing himself as a Swiftie, while others questioned his priorities as wildfires continue to rage in parts of Canada.
Elsewhere, Chilean president Gabriel Boric shared in June that he had written to Swift to consider including his country in her tour of Latin America, while Australian Members of Parliament Andrew Wallace, of Queensland, and Patrick Gorman, of Perth, also welcomed her to perform in their states, in addition to her dates in Sydney and Melbourne.
