A district-level official from Ha Tinh province is in hot water after a photograph surfaced on Facebook of him kissing the breast of a revered statue in Da Lat.
A civil servant from Vu Quang District whom Tuoi Tre has identified as Phan Tuan Anh kissed the breast of a statue depicting H’biang, a famous character in local mythology and one half of the mythical couple Lang Biang.
According to VnExpress, netizens who saw the photograph were livid, shaming the public servant for his misconduct.
“I don’t understand what he was thinking when he kissed the statue of Lang Biang," said a member of the ViTalk social network, according to the news outlet. "He is a trained and learned civil servant. How can he be that disrespectful?”
The civil servant has since apologized for his behavior, claiming he “drank overly” while on holiday.
"After socializing with friends, we drank overly, which is why we acted that way," the civil servant told VnExpress, who did not give the man’s name. "I know that it was wrong to do it."
The image of Tuan Anh kissing the statue first appeared on the social media account of another civil servant, who claims he “accidentally” uploaded the photo without realizing what he had done.
Vice Mayor of Vu Quang District Pham Quoc Thanh told VnExpress he was aware of the photograph and those involved would be held responsible for their actions upon their return.
[Photo via VnExpress]
