By JOCELYN GECKER
Associated Press
BANGKOK
Lady Gaga wants to go shopping in Bangkok – for a fake Rolex.
The singer made the comment to her 24 million Twitter followers, sparking an online uproar Thursday in Thailand where some fans called it offensive, insulting and bad for the country’s image.
It’s the latest publicity-making turn of events as “The Born This Way Ball” travels through Asia.
Lady Gaga’s provocative lyrics and costumes have angered Christian groups in South Korea and the Philippines and Islamists in Indonesia, where the show may be banned.
Now she is stirring nationalist fervor in Thailand, where people tend to get upset when the country’s seedy underworld is highlighted by outsiders.
Lady Gaga posted her tweet shortly after her private jet arrived Wednesday night: “I just landed in Bangkok baby! Ready for 50,000 screaming Thai monsters. I wanna get lost in a lady market and buy fake Rolex.”
It is unclear what a “lady market” is but some Thai fans assumed she meant the popular outdoor Ladies Market in Hong Kong, where she already toured _ and also eyed the luxury knockoffs.
Not all Thai fans objected to the off-color comment. A screaming mob greeted Lady Gaga at the airport. Crowds thronged her 5-star hotel, where she signed autographs and hugged one female fan who left in tears. People have camped outside Rajamangala stadium for days, hoping to be first inside and win the prize of meeting the pop star in person.
If Lady Gaga does have time to shop in Bangkok, she’ll see that the city has more to offer than just fake watches, Thai fan Nont Armarttasn sarcastically noted on his Facebook page.
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Associated Press writer Thanyarat Doksone contributed to this report.
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