Today, The Great Pacific Twitter War is back on.
The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok yesterday released a statement via its Facebook page in response to the #nnevvy controversy that exploded on Saturday, but had simmered down by Monday.
In the age of social media, the attention span of modern-day people is limited.
Twitter may blow up for a day, perhaps even two days, with top trending hashtags on a controversy, a scandal or a fiasco. A day later, it’s back to tweeting about a Thai soap opera and Korean pop culture, until the next meltdown.
Unless someone of importance won’t let a topic die down.
The statement by the Chinese Embassy emphasizes the family and brotherly bond between the Thais and the Chinese and reiterates its stance on the “One-China Policy” in regards to Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Twitter users react to the statement with #ชานมข้นกว่าเลือด (milk tea is thicker than blood). The English-language version is #MilkTeaAlliance.
Milk tea is a favorite drink in Thailand, Taiwan and is also popular in other Asian countries. Blood means family bond.
In addition, #StopMekongDam is also trending.
This article by Chiang Rai Times cited an American study, which accused China of holding back water in Upper Mekong.
“China’s Mekong River dams held back huge amounts of water during a damaging drought affecting downstream countries last year,” said the article.
The article also added that the Mekong River supports the life of 60 million people who live in the river’s area, as it flows through Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.
However, according to reports, China has denied holding back the water.
Thai Twitter users are calling for solidarity among Southeast Asian countries over the issue, asking the question: “Is this what families (or brothers) do to each other?”
