Disappointing article well below Al Jazeera's journalistic standards. Actually, its not journalism at all, just a promo piece fundraising for a "faith based" organisation with lots of emotive language. More agenda based than fact based.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/1...184544070.htmlSimilar Threads:
Chiang Mai Connoisseur - [url=http://www.gayinchiangmai.com/News/]www.gayinchiangmai.com[/url] and [url=http://www.bontong.com/]www.bontong.com[/url]
Thanks for posting the link. Of it's type it didn't seem too sensationalised, and it sounds like Urban Light does a worthy job. I didn't notice a faith angle in the article.
It's more what the article doesn't say than what it does. Interestingly, Urban Life have got very coy about their religious motives which were clearly stated a year or two back.
Yes, they do some good work. But they provide a depiction of what goes on in Chiang Mai that is a long way from the truth. Not that the truth is nice by any means and the internet has changed the landscape considerably. Emotive phrase like "Western men sitting in bars with 14-year-old boys on their laps" were definitely true 20 years ago, Perhaps occasionally true 10 years ago and virtually non existent now.
Demonizing western gay men plays to the Christian fundamentalist financial backers in the US.
Chiang Mai Connoisseur - [url=http://www.gayinchiangmai.com/News/]www.gayinchiangmai.com[/url] and [url=http://www.bontong.com/]www.bontong.com[/url]
I've spent many fun nights in Adams Apple over the years and have never encountered guys fitting the description in the article.
And I have certainly never seen any young guys of the age mentioned anywhere in Chiang Mai.
I was under the impression that the trafficking of guys related to the construction industry, not the sex industry.
I agree with Bon Tong - it probably reflects the situation in CM many years ago.
Do the guys who work at Adam's Apple or any of the other Chiang Mai go go bars have ID cards? If not, how does a customer ascertain their ages? What about the street boys who freelance at the bars in the night bazaar area? Do they have ID?Originally Posted by a447
Why don't you share this with Aljazeera? If what you're saying is true than readers have a right to the bigger picture although I don't see anything wrong with any organisation, faith-based or not, filling up a void in terms of providing food, shelter and basic education to these boys. What has the secular Thai state done to help them? What about the gay farang who patronise these bars and all their talk of loving, caring and respecting these boys? How have they got together to provide concrete support to these hill-tribe and Shan boys, most of whom have few rights and are severely discriminated against in Thai society? I'm sure Aljazeera would be interested to hear of these home-grown efforts to provide assistance to these boys.
Last edited by sglad; December 12th, 2017 at 04:36.
joe552 (December 12th, 2017)
I've only been to Chiang Mai once, so my experience is limited. On first reading, it seems like a worthwhile project, helping boys to escape prostitution. I didn't see the Christian fundamentalist connection, though I know it exists in Thailand. But if some of these boys get out of the game and find a real life, surely that's a good thing? I have little doubt that 12 and 14 year old boys and girls are still being abused in most major cities in Thailand. This is one project trying to help.
Bontong, maybe you can give a bit more background on the organisation?
Hitchhiking's more of a challenge on the road less travelled.
My taste is for older guys, and I've only ever offed then from AA.
And I've never seen a guy there who looks like he'd need to produce an ID card at a hotel. They are all older masculine types.
I have no idea about the street boys in the bazaar as I don't go looking for company there.
a447.my taste is for younger (legal) guys. I've never checked an ID. By that stage of the night, I wouldn't know what I'm supposed to be looking for. I've admitted before I offed a boy from a reputable bar who turned out to be 17. He only worked there one night. This was Pattaya. My experience of Chiang Mai was that it seemed much more vanilla (as latin might say).
A genuine question. When you take a boy back to your room, and he gives in his ID, would the receptionist check the age? And if they thought the boy was underage, allow you to go to your room, but call the cops?
Hitchhiking's more of a challenge on the road less travelled.
"Bontong, maybe you can give a bit more background on the organisation?"......
https://www.urban-light.org
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