Surprising letter in Pattaya Mail, 13 June 2008

[Marsilius]

I could not believe that the following letter has appeared in the Pattaya Mail (or, at least, in the on-line edition).

It should certainly stir up a hornets' nest!

Dear Sir;
Having lived and worked in Thailand for many years prior to my retirement I make an effort to keep up with events by reading the Thai press and the English language Thai press on-line. Also friends keep me informed of the status quo in the country.
I am writing to express my concern about the fact that your journal carries detrimental and negative stories on a nearly weekly basis about a tiny minority of farangs, namely those who love adolescent boys.
As you are no doubt aware, Asian culture and Buddhist culture in particular reveres men who look after the welfare of young people, especially boys. They are seen as putting wayward youth on the path of acceptance and tolerance. A scant knowledge of Thai classical literature, documents these traits. Needless to say, the role of monks in boysтАЩ upbringing is legendary. The fact that this vindictive campaign is only aimed at farangs speaks volumes. As far as I have been able to ascertain no Thai has been in trouble for consensual relationships with a boy.
Until quite recent times there was no such concept in law in Thailand (or elsewhere in South-East Asia, except for laws left over from colonial times), of an age of consent. But we are now in the quite ridiculous situation where the age of consent in Thailand is higher than the average in Western nations.
As we all know it is of course the dominance of Western NGOs in developing countries forcing Judeo-Christian values on foreign cultures which has resulted in this very sad state of affairs. Where there was love and harmony, in the space of a few short years, due to the introduction of Westernisation, there is now exploitation and violence. Young people and their adult friends are now no less than criminals. The mafia and corruption are the name of the game these days.
Boy lovers are now being violently blackmailed, even held hostage until large sums of money are handed over, and their captors safe in the knowledge the farang will not complain to the authorities for fear of prosecution in Thailand or back home. Children and young people are being forced into having relationships with farangs by ruthless gangs in order to satisfy these criminal activities. This complete volte-face in the space of a few short years has been brought about by the busybody do-gooders of the west.
I feel your newspaper along with others really ought to be ashamed of yourselves by giving publicity to these Western pressure groups. Instead you should be highlighting the damage they are causing to the fabric of life in Thailand and how the East has nothing to learn from Westerners on social mores. (One only has to compare the behaviour of Western youth to its counterpart in the East). You should be celebrating the difference of Thai culture vis-├а-vis the West and bring out its strengths of tolerance, social harmony and acceptance. That, no doubt, is after all why you like living in Thailand!
Be brave, fight for the truth!
Yours faithfully,
A. Doctor
England

PS On the same page was another letter, reprinted below. I guess that's what's meant by "balanced coverage"!

Editor;
I have been visiting Thailand (every 6 months) for the last 8 years. ItтАЩs a beautiful country and the Thai people are fantastic! I would like to give a тАЬbig thank youтАЭ to the Thai police and everyone else involved with the arrest of all the foreign pedophiles (Pattaya Mail, 30th May-5 June). ThatтАЩs the тАЬonly problemтАЭ I have noticed in Pattaya: too many foreign pedophiles, walking along Beach Road and hanging out in local malls, looking for kids.
Please continue the crackdown on these sick perverts and hopefully all of them will receive a sentence of at least 30, 40 or 50 years in prison.
A very special тАЬthank youтАЭ to Ms Mariel Schaltz, keep up the good work.
Thank you,
J. Cole
USA

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Good God, my tax dollars at work.:whdat:


Well, the effort to "Change Asia" in Puritan America seems to be bipartisan. Everyone's current hero, Hillary, fired the first shots at Japan, and other Asian countries.

Excuse me while I puke. There are a lot of good things about America, but Moralizing is not one of them. :angel13:


Americans would rather moralize than fuck. That is, at least, the public stance, until they get caught.

By the way, a very well-written note about two ambitious sisters who preyed on the Radical Christian Left -- and anyone else. They got in with Vanderbilt, then one of the richest men in America.

"It was a match. Vanderbilt loved sex, and dripped money. They loved money, and dripped sex."

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

absolutely amazing !!! and spot on.

But I notice he writes from the safety of the UK and -he's a doctor so trust him.

About time we were able to speak of the extraordinary double standards being foisted upon Thailand by interfering busy bodies from the West. He also points out rightly the extraordinary absence of any comment about the numerous Asians who are involved in illicit child sex.

Capturing the baddies would be OK ..except for one thing. Where do those kids go after they are pictured in the media with the alleged offendor ?..straight out the back door onto the streets. NGO's should be working hell bent on preventing them ever having to hit the streets in the first place ( some very good ones do but the majority don't)

Isn't foisting American homophobia on other countries wrong, period? (It seems like a single standard to me, but let that pass...)

Of course, it's not JUST American homophobia. Have you read about the first encounter of Portuguese missionaries with the Isle of Japan? They thought everything was just ducky, except for the HORRIBLE PREVALENCE OF SODOMY.

Well, then, weren't the Japanese justified in giving them the old heave-ho? And (as I recall) killing the hard-core remnants?

[Marsilius]

...and - he's a doctor so trust him.

Well, perhaps... or perhaps not.

After all, he signs himself "A. Doctor" with a full stop after the "A" - so I guess he could just as well be Alan Doctor or Alfred Doctor or whatever!!!

Isn't foisting American homophobia on other countries wrong, period? (It seems like a single standard to me, but let that pass...)

Of course, it's not JUST American homophobia. Have you read about the first encounter of Portuguese missionaries with the Isle of Japan? They thought everything was just ducky, except for the HORRIBLE PREVALENCE OF SODOMY.

Well, then, weren't the Japanese justified in giving them the old heave-ho? And (as I recall) killing the hard-core remnants?

homophobia??????? I thought the thread was about paedophilia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

very few gay men molest children

I'm an American, and I'd rather fuck. But not young boys.

Of course there's a double standard, they're not looking for Thai men who are molesting little boys (or girls). They're looking for the tourist dollars and the opportunity to humiliate the farangs. Can you imagine an older Asian man coming to the States (or Europe) and getting caught in the company of three or four naked young boys? In Texas? He'd be on death-row before you could say "But, officer, I was only giving them a bath."

Wherever it happens, it's wrong, wrong, wrong . . . and it's happening somewhere tonight.

[dave_tf-old]

Dear Pattaya Mail.

I have just read the letter from a J. Cole from the US. I am appalled at his/her suggestion that these vile criminals should recieve sentences of 30, 40 or 50 years! I feel a sentence of 51 years is called for, not some mamby-pamby slap on the wrist as suggested by this obviously ultra-liberal idiot.

I would be willing to go as high as 52 years, but would draw the line at 53 years. I am a christian, after all.

Insincerely,

Holier than J. Cole

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

who the hell is Ms Mariel Schaltz ??? :dontknow: :dontknow: :dontknow:

"Editor;
I have been visiting Thailand (every 6 months) for the last 8 years. "

ah yes..another one who comes to play "golf". :cheers:

[jinks]

Leaving this one for a while, it's getting close to breaking the guidelines.

Be careful or it will disappear without further warning.