What Thais really think of sex tourists

[thonglor55]

It's not the existence of a sector of the industry specifically for foreigners that upsets Thais, or that sex is traded for money or material items, it's the way that those involved in the foreign sector тАУ both the girls and the guys тАУ behave in public that upsets the locals. It's the revealing clothing, the schmoozing in public, the sexual talk and innuendo and the lack of discretion, all of which goes strongly against local culture.And so Stickman goes on for the main part of this week's column (http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/StickmanBangkokWeeklyColumn2011/Thai-perspective.htm). He's right, of course, something about which many posters here are "in denial".

[Thai Dyed]

It's not the existence of a sector of the industry specifically for foreigners that upsets Thais, or that sex is traded for money or material items, it's the way that those involved in the foreign sector тАУ both the girls and the guys тАУ behave in public that upsets the locals. It's the revealing clothing, the schmoozing in public, the sexual talk and innuendo and the lack of discretion, all of which goes strongly against local culture.And so Stickman goes on for the main part of this week's column (http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/StickmanBangkokWeeklyColumn2011/Thai-perspective.htm). He's right, of course, something about which many posters here are "in denial".

But most gays I know are less interested in having sex than cavorting and making a scene in public... you know, all the kissy-kissy, touchy-touchy, hand in the pants stuff you see on the streets. I thought that was part of all the "gay liberation" they never stop talking about. You mean to tell me in Thailand that I should stick with only having sex with beautiful boys 12 times day and confine it to my own room? Dukkha! Dukkha!

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[cameroncat]

I really think this is more of a problem among the Straight tourists than the gay ones. All one has to do is take a trip to the beach in Pattaya and see the Fat farangs in their tiny g-string swimsuits with their gigantic bellies and their equally out of shape topless wives with their exposed cow udders hanging to their waistline... :tongue3:

[thonglor55]

If, like me, you get them to self-deliver off Gay Romeo then you never need to worry what the locals think. Mind you, I still try to meet them somewhere neutral before taking them home, just in case their pic doesn't match the reality.
I really think this is more of a problem among the Straight tourists than the gay ones. All one has to do is take a trip to the beach in Pattaya and see the Fat farangs in their tiny g-string swimsuits with their gigantic bellies and their equally out of shape topless wives with their exposed cow udders hanging to their waistline...So after reading that story and thinking about what was written, that is your considered opinion?

........ and see the Fat farangs in their tiny g-string swimsuits with their gigantic bellies..........

please, don't involve me in this :headbang:

Although Pattaya has its obvious attractions, I don't like the way visitors there feel they have the right to trample over Thai sensitivites and customs.

That said, it is also a mecca for every Thai scumbag, and in some respects, the two parties deserve each other..

Personally I spend most of my time in Hua Hin - it may not be the centre of the universe, but the air is fresh, there is little crime, and there's a good measure of mutual respect between the Thai and farang communities..

[cdnmatt]

Yeah, I don't think most Thais care about prostitution itself too much, because hell, many of them partake in it. They just don't advertise it. Have you ever seen a 50yo Thai guy, dragging some cute 18yo girl around the streets as if he's a king because of the beautiful girl he "scored"? Not going to happen. So yeah, I would imagine most Thais who see farangs do that think they're fucken morons.

Reminds me of a few weeks ago, some girl who obviously works in Pattaya or BKK shows up in the neighborhood, I'm guessing to visit family / friends. She's walking down the street, and actually blurts out to me, "Hey, sexy man!", while I'm talking with a couple neighbors. Talk about out of place. Needless to say, the neighbors didn't look very impressed with her. :)

because hell, many of them partake in it

Statistically, quite a small percentage; but the line between commercial and non-commercial sex is far less defined.

Thai women expect their men to be the wage earners, and to give much of it to them to spend on food, clothes etc. Being given cash by someone they are in a relationship with does not automatically make them feel that they are selling their bodies.

From time to time I quite enjoy seducing 'good' Thai women - the chase makes the exercise a little more interesting than just picking one off the bars. Very often however, as they are about to concede to share your bed, they will look at you sternly and say 'you take care me OK?' - which in practice means a 1000bt note tucked in her back pocket as you kiss her goodbye in the morning - much the same as a bar girl..

... the line between commercial and non-commercial sex is far less defined.
The partners may have sex in the three cases of prostitution, temporary marriage, and permanent marriage. Quran declares the first one illegal but has made the latter two legal.

The other difference, of course, is that the prostitute has another contract one hour later, but in both temporary and permanent marriage it is the duty of woman to wait for a couple of months before entering another contract. As I mentioned according to ALL of the Shia scholars the "Iddah" for the Mut'a is two menstrual cycles (or at least 45 days if the woman is of menstruating age but for some reason does not menstruate).

This would provide less than 8 customers a year for a prostitute!!! I think any prostitution agency would go bankrupt in the first year if it wants to follow the regulations of Mut'a. And there are many more differences between prostitution and temporary marriage. May Allah guide those who unknowingly ridicule His religion and His Prophet.

http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter6a/8.html

[colmx]

Yeah, I don't think most Thais care about prostitution itself too much, because hell, many of them partake in it.

Most places that i have visited in Rural Thailand also have a pay-for-play scene (for straights)
The "resort" nearest my BFs village even has a sign on the door saying short time rentals must be less than 2 hours

And the girls in the local karaoke are definately available.

Most of the ladyboys or fem boys around BFs village know that they can get a shag off any of the straight boys - as long as they are willing to pay the price... usually a packet on LMs and a Bottle of Lao Khao/SeeSip Degree... its not straight out prostitution... but its damn near!

[Dodger]

It is Pattaya who proudly dubbed itself as the "EXTREME CITY" and did so with the motivation of generating revenue - not for the purpose of introducing foreigners to true Thai culture as some seem to believe.

The very premise of the City is based on "just about anything goes".."sex and more sex"...and "drink till dawn"...and I don't believe for a minute that the Thais lose any sleep when witnessing some of the low-class weirdo foreigners who migrate to their flashing neon lights. I have traveled all over the Kingdom and never witnessed a young Thai girl walking aorund wearing sparkly high-heeled shoes with her butt cheeks exposed from beneith her mini-skirt until I return to Pattaya. Nor have I ever witnessed a 60 y/o farang wearing speedos anywhere else but in this enviroment dubbed as "Extreme". Yes, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket have their pockets of sleezy entertainment venues - but not anywhere as intentionally extreme as Pattaya.

Pattaya not only attracts foreigners who don't know how to act appropriately in public - but some pretty sleezy Thais as well.

The moral here (the way I see it) is if you want to spend time in the EXTREME CITY - don't freak out every time you witnesss something extreme.

[TravellerDave]

Pattaya is not Thailand - its a bizarre phenominum, where the Thais suck huge quantities of foreign cash from foreigners by pandering to their disires for cheap sex. booze and drugs in addition to more respectable attractions like the beach, shopping and top class hotels.
Nobody goes there for Thai culture and many like me go for the sex and I dont believe when a Thai goes to Pats he/she is offended by whats on display. I wear speedos and even occasionaly a thong on Dongtan beach, but confine public activity with boys to bars and gogo's.

[thonglor55]

The original article is about Bangkok, and Thailand generally. I don't think Pattaya as such rates a mention in it. It's recent posters on this thread who seem to be advocating Pattaya exceptionalism, although I must say I am taken with the concept of a "phenominum".

[Dodger]

Thonglor55 wrote:


The original article is about Bangkok, and Thailand generally.

If we're talking about Thailand in general - then I would add that the majority of Thais (who don't reside or work in these infamous entertainment areas) would find these scenes unattractive -if not apalling...as Thai people in general are very modest and humble people with high moral standards. Ironically, the scenes where the sex tourists flock would be unattractive and apalling to the majority of people in the West as well.

As far as what the Thais think about sex tourists goes, I think they appreciate the market being there in general for the revenue it generates, but find it confusing why people would pay so much for sex - when it can be acquired freely.

In all reality, the Thais really don't acknowledge the farang as being anything more than an alien with a pocketbook, as their motives are, and always have been, focused on... "Thais-for-Thais".

Pattaya not only attracts foreigners who don't know how to act appropriately in public - but some pretty sleezy Thais as well.

Which is why it's not my #1 destination..


In all reality, the Thais really don't acknowledge the farang as being anything more than an alien with a pocketbook, as their motives are, and always have been, focused on... "Thais-for-Thais"

Thais seem to like an easy life, and can be quite shameless free-loaders.

Although in principle they quite like the Thai-love-Thai xenophobia, the reality is that the minority, ethnically Chinese population, run the country and own most of the real estate, because the majority, ethnically Thai population, can't be bothered to..

A friend with a background in UK agriculture, with a wife who comes from a farming village between Korat and Buriram; has made valiant efforts to reduce the poverty of his wife's home community by modernising their agriculture.

His biggest stumbling block has been that none of the farmers trust each other, and won't sign to up to co-operative deals to share equipment or facilities. Another problem is that however poor they are, they won't contemplate buying anything second-hand. They would rather till their crops without machinery, then use something that has had a previous owner.

All rather strange and irrational, to western eyes..

[Beachlover]

I think Stickman's got a good point regarding the commercial sex bars here. They need to be zoned and visually partitioned off so they're not so visible to ordinary people living in these neighbourhoods.

I think it's ok to have the door men out on the street etc. but these streets need to be restricted so the activity isn't too visible from surrounding streets and it doesn't encroach on the neighbourhood. Soi Twilight is sort of a good example of this. It's packed and very active, but there's a clear boundary. From the outside, going past on the main road, you don't see much of it.

As for Pattaya, that place is just fucking nut town with an "anything goes" atmosphere. You really do see the most dirty, sleazy stuff walking around Pattaya. But I guess that's what it's for.

Having said that, if Pattaya wants to (very) gradually become a more family friendly and upscale holiday destination, it needs good town planning and zoning to keep the sleazy stuff restricted to certain parts of the town. Within these areas, the sleazy stuff can roam free. But you want the more upscale areas of Pattaya to be as free of these "sights" as possible.


a few weeks ago, some girl who obviously works in Pattaya or BKK shows up in the neighborhood, I'm guessing to visit family / friends. She's walking down the street, and actually blurts out to me, "Hey, sexy man!", while I'm talking with a couple neighbors. Talk about out of place. Needless to say, the neighbors didn't look very impressed with her. :)
Haha... You should've sent Kim flying after her. Hey Kim, she's trying to take your man! :rolling:

There are far too many Government Officials and members of the BIB on the make for Pattaya to ever change from what it is.

[Beachlover]

I used to think so too... But I'm starting to think it's got a chance. Pattaya may very gradually evolve. The sex stuff will never die out completely, but it may become a slightly less dominating aspect of Pattaya.

They've actually got some pretty nice developments, shopping centres and hotels coming up, which will gradually change the face of the place. Aside from obvious stuff like fixing the infrastructure, what they really need to do is keep the sex-oriented nightlife strictly zoned off in certain areas of the city so the rest of the city can thrive without it.

[latintopxxx]

...oh here we go again, ofcourse its all the big bad foreigners (read white( fault again....until they arrived on the scene the Thai's sat sat demurely in their pagodas drinking tea all day....

[Dodger]

Old Git wrote:


A friend with a background in UK agriculture, with a wife who comes from a farming village between Korat and Buriram; has made valiant efforts to reduce the poverty of his wife's home community by modernising their agriculture.

His biggest stumbling block has been that none of the farmers trust each other

I know exactly what your friend is talking about - and for the life of me I can't figure this one out.

On one hand, Thai farming villages thrive almost totally on interdependance which is witnessed in all of their behaviors and day-to-day activities. They work together, eat together, create sannok together, and most pronounced is the fact that they share food amoungst themselves as if they are just one big happy family. Then, as your friend has pointed out, they simply don't trust each other.

I grew up with the understanding that a person who trusts no one - is someone that no one should trust, and I just wondert if this isn't the case here.

My bfs father also passed up an opportunity to purchase a used tractor to replace his limping water buffalo, although passed up the opportunity because he apparently didn't trust the seller who said that everything was in good operating condition...he didn't trust the bank who was willing to help him finance the tractor...and last but not least, he didn't trust his neighbors and feared that if he owned the tractor someone would steal it from him.

You can see the same phenominum on the working circuit where the Thai boys follow the same exact path. They survive and function in totally interdependent lifestyles within their working boy sub-culture...work together, eat together, create sannok together, and share food with each other without a second thought, although have to sleep at night with both hands wrapped around their mobile phones which is hidden beneith their pillows for fear that one of their friends will steal it. Go figure!

[thrillbill]

I think most gays (Asians or Westerns) are more "free" and are more brave with their "gay" actions- behavior in the gay parts of the cities or inside a gay venue. Most do not flaunt it in public. I also see this in Pattaya; however, I occasionally see a "grandpa-age" man holding hands with a Thai young enough to be his grandson...would he do this in his country (hell no). In Pattaya, i find the Thai bar girls a bit shameless...and the same time I pity them; for, they could still pick up a man without acting like a slut.

[yedo111]

As far as what the Thais think about sex tourists goes, I think they appreciate the market being there in general for the revenue it generates, but find it confusing why people would pay so much for sex - when it can be acquired freely. In all reality, the Thais really don't acknowledge the farang as being anything more than an alien with a pocketbook, as their motives are, and always have been, focused on... "Thais-for-Thais".

I will agree to this comment, sex tourism is looked upon as any other tourism , farangs coming here with big fat wallets and will give a good income for Thais working in the "tourist industry" .

But when it comes to sex in general its available for free for anyone , gay or straight, you just need to visit more local places. Thais love sex, maybe its a buddhism thing , I dont know but its more naturally accepted here than in the west.