Thai Police -- and Their Masks -- Will At Least Make You Think They're Friendly

There is something very stereotypical about the angry glare of a policeman; it's not that all cops have a hardened gaze, but generally speaking, they have to appear tough in the face of crime.

But not in Thailand. Or, at least, not that you'll know of. See, the Thai police will be wearing masks for the first week of 2009, in an effort to enforce the "ALWAYS BE SMILING" policy of their country.

"For our highway policemen, we have the policy that the police must be friendly and smiling all the time, but the problem is, when we're tired, it's hard to keep smiling," said Colonel Somyos Promnim, the Highway Police commander.

[...] The new cloth masks, which hook behind the ears and cover the mouth and nose, will help "reduce the stress from drivers when they see the police," said Somyos, the Highway Police commander.

To that end, he said, some 200 police booths would also distribute holy water, chewing gum and mints.

In other words, Thailand, here I come! No, seriously, I'm as scared of cops as the next blogger upstanding citizen, but it's still awesome to know that at all times in Thailand, whenever someone gets pulled over, they'll be treated to the full-on, creepy It clown treatment.