Israel's ambassador to Thailand says ignorance is to blame after photos emerged of two men posing as Nazi military officers in a busy Bangkok mall.

Key points: The two men appear to be giving the thumbs-up atop a Christmas-themed platform

The two men appear to be giving the thumbs-up atop a Christmas-themed platform It is common to find Nazi Germany's symbols in Thailand, owing to historical ignorance

It is common to find Nazi Germany's symbols in Thailand, owing to historical ignorance Israel's ambassador to Thailand told the ABC that officials "understand" the need for change

A photo published by online news website Stickboy Bangkok shows two men of Asian ancestry atop a Christmas-themed platform sponsored by Mastercard at central Bangkok's CentralWorld mall.

They were giving the thumbs-up while dressed in the military regalia of Nazi Germany.

A second photo shows the side-profile of one of the men standing upright, as casually dressed crowds walk past him. Others are seen taking photos of the scene on their smartphones.

The men involved in the incident have not been identified. ( Twitter: Stickboy Bangkok )

The head-pieces and coats clearly show Nazi iconography, which includes black swastikas and an iteration of the reichsadler — the Nazi interpretation of the German Imperial Eagle.

Responding on Twitter, Thailand's Israeli Embassy quoted ambassador Meir Shlomo saying he was "disappointed to see the sad reoccurrence of incidents in which Nazi symbols are displayed on random occasions in Thailand".

"Needless to say, that this is an insult to the 6 million Jews and other victims of the Nazi regime, and their relatives," he said.

"There is yet a lot to be done in Thailand through proper education and public awareness."

But in a written statement to the ABC, Dr Shlomo said he was "not concerned about the level of anti-Semitism in Thailand".

"I am aware that the vast majority of such incidents which are happening in Thailand stem from ignorance and due to lack of awareness regarding the implications," Dr Shlomo said.

"I do not make any generalisations and claim that Thailand has a problem of anti-Semitism, but I do believe that ignorance about the Holocaust does exist."

On Twitter, Mastercard distanced itself from the two men and said it was "appalled" by the images.

"We condemn violence, hate speech and the images in these photos. They are offensive and they are morally wrong," the company wrote.

CentralWorld also said it was "appalled" by the images on Twitter, but it copped criticism for describing the men dressed in "military-like uniforms" rather than in explicit Nazi regalia.

The mall's statement also alleged the men were performing "obscene gestures".

Loading

Education to blame

The Jewish Data Bank's 2018 World Jewish Population report found Thailand had a "core" Jewish population of 200 people.

That means Thailand's Jews make up about 0.0003 per cent of Thailand's population, which stands at roughly 69 million.

The country's largest religion is Buddhism, whose adherents make up about 94.6 per cent of Thailand's total population, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Over the years, observers raised alarms about the visibility of Nazi Germany's symbols in Thai life, whether it be swastikas featured in t-shirt designs, Adolf Hitler painted alongside superheroes in university murals, or via direct copies of Nazi flags and uniforms at market stalls.

Loading...

Knowledge of what the Nazi symbols actually represent is spread thin across the country, as Thai education about the World War II tends to focus on Japan's war crimes in Asia.

Chalermchai Phanlert, an academic at Thailand's Education Ministry told the Times of Israel earlier this year, that this had created a context where younger Thais did not know about the swastika's European context, which had led to it being adopted as a fashion statement.

Loading

Earlier this year, this came to a head with Pichayapa "Namsai" Natha — a member of popular Thai girl group BNK48 — who wore a t-shirt carrying Nazi Germany's war ensign.

The ensign represented Adolf Hitler's brutal regime as it embarked upon the Holocaust and waged war through Europe between 1938 and 1945.

She swiftly apologised for the incident on her social media channels, with one Instagram post noting it was "all [her] mistake" and that she had many things to learn "in this world".

Following the incident, she met with Dr Shlomo to express her apology in person, and agreed to make her band participate in an educational workshop on the Holocaust.

Pichayapa Natha (right) wore the swastika shirt during a televised performance. ( Twitter: Ryn J )

Dr Shlomo told the ABC education was critical in Thailand to prevent further "random" instances of insensitivity from occurring.

"Thai officials do understand the necessity," he said.

"We hold an ongoing dialogue and cooperation on this issue and I hope that gradually it will get better."